The Legend of Zelda: The Search for Hope
by fett8802
Summary: Straight off of his adventure in the Twilight Princess, Link opts to find the true love of his life. Beginning directly where the game left off, Link must search high and low through Hyrule to find a certain magical item. But is all as it seems?
1. Bittersweet Partings

**The Legend of Zelda: The Search for Hope**

Chapter 1: Bittersweet Partings

Dazed, Link rolled across the hardened ground. It must not have rained recently on this vacant plain in Hyrule's western most province. Clang. Link's back collected small rocks and grass as his body slammed against the ground. His opponent currently had the upper hand. As the blade came slamming down, Link managed to dodge to the right. His opponent, Ganondorf, yelled in hate. Link quickly scrambled to his feet.

Clang. Link only barely managed to parry this strong stash attack with his shield. His shield arm stung. Link threw all he had into his next attack. With his still stinging arm, Link thrust his body in Ganondorf's, throwing him back. Link used this small opportunity to leap above his opponent's head and make a quick downward jab. Disoriented, Ganondorf stumbled back, but managed to regain his footing before he fell backwards. A split second later, Ganondorf felt another gash being opened in his armor; his advantage was weakening.

Link lept backward to avoid the inevitable counter attack, losing his footing. Link saw Ganondorf and knew that he had realized that Link was falling. In his mind, he was done for. As Link felt his body begin to fall, his mind raced through the events of the past few months.

Link had traveled through the entire land of Hyrule, collecting pieces to two very important items along the way. The first, pieces to a Twili Fused Shadow Helmet, was needed to defeat the man responsible for bringing the Twilight into Hyrule. For this mission, the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda, had commissioned as Link's aid, Midna, a Twili being with great magical power.

Midna was the snide type, obviously viewing herself as superior to Link, despite her small impish size. She constantly made pointed comments as to the futility that the "light" world had in its existence. She used this dark comedy to make jabs at Link and his reason for even going on this mission.

Link had excepted the task, however begrudged he was to work with Midna, he wanted to help save Hyrule as best he could.

Through his travels, it was discovered that Zant, the man Midna was looking to defeat, was not the actual enemy and that a stronger "god" existed. Through a bizarre twist, Zant appeared and stole the powerful helmet upon completion and disappeared into the Twili, or Twilight, Realm. Before disappearing, Zant attacked Midna and brought her near to death.

It was at this critical point that Link brought Midna before Princess Zelda. Using the rest of her power, Princess Zelda revived Midna; at the cost of her own existence. It was then decided the pair should travel into the Twilight Realm and defeat Zant there, with or without the Fused Shadow Helmet.

It was also at this critical point that Midna's cynicism began to wane. She had already been amazed at the sacrifices Link was willing to make to save his world. She liked that about him.

Besides being hansom, Link was courageous; mush more so than she. He was polite and kind to everyone he met and yet fearless and powerfully merciless in battle. In short, he was everything she had once valued. In her time with Link, she saw that her initial belief that Link was not the chosen hero was false. She knew now that he was.

The pair made their way into little known territory to scale the ghostly inhabited coliseum that was once used as a prison for the most hardened criminals in Hyrule. Long since abandoned, the duo fought their way through the spirits of the damned to the top where the Mirror of Twilight was said to exist.

Ganondorf looked down on Link as he lay there dazed, thinking of the past. Raising his sword, Ganondorf slammed the tip of the sword through equipment and tunic into Link's stomach, turning his organs into a multicolored paste. Behind the two, Zelda screamed. She had been trapped from the fight by a force field employed by Ganondorf. Link barely felt his stomach being obliterated and his mind shifted to the events that followed the discovery of the Mirror of Twilight.

After discovering the Mirror of Twilight, Midna and Link were distressed to find it broken into four pieces. The search was on again. Traveling through high cold mountains, into the sky, and even into times long past, the two dueled their way to finding the missing pieces of the Mirror.

By now, the team was a well oiled machine. They knew each other, they knew how to work with each other, and they could basically finish each other's sentences. Who could blame them? They spent every waking hour trying diligently to find the Mirror Shards and they did it together.

Midna loved that. She had for so long worked alone. She had forgotten the wonderful company that a gentleman can bring. Link, a little naïve, had yet to really catch on to Midna's feelings. He had some stirring of his heart as well, but he was mostly unaware of it. His one track mind said, "Find the Mirror Shards to save Hyrule."

He sometimes had had fleeting thoughts of his young love, Ilia from his hometown of Ordon. She was the rambunctiously cute daughter of the town mayor. While he had always liked Ilia, she felt like more of a best friend to him even though her feelings were obviously stronger than plutonic.

Ganondorf peered down at the broken body of the chosen hero, Link, and laughed out loud. Blood was pouring from the wound onto the ground, soaking into the nearby grass. Link's mouth and eyes were also slowly dripping streams of blood. Ganondorf, not to be considered weak, ripped the blade from Link's stomach and made another jab, higher up, plunging it through the belt holding the Master Sword's sheath to Link's body as well as some other equipment and lastly through Link's chest and heart. Ganondorf thought that he heard the sound of glass shattering, but couldn't be sure.

Link, oblivious to the pain, remember what happened next. After searching several weeks, Link and Midna again found themselves at the Mirror of Twilight, prepared to enter. What they found there was astonishing to both. Zant had turned the Twili people into mindless Twilight Monsters and barricaded himself inside the once beautiful Twilight Palace.

It was here that Link learned that Midna was indeed the Princess of Twilight. These were her people. She had abandoned them to look for hope. She had found hope in one person: Link.

Fighting through the hordes of enemies, Midna and Link finally came into his chamber and fought their toughest battle yet. After bringing Zant back to the ground, the Fused Shadow Helmet once again came into Midna's possession. Using her power, she finally killed Zant, but not before he could tell them that his "god" had already been reborn into the world of the light and was now residing in Hyrule Castle.

Furious, the two returned to the world of the light and immediately stormed Hyrule Castle. Using her new powers, Midna tore through the force field Ganondorf had erected around Hyrule Castle.

After fighting their way to the top, Midna and Link fought with Ganondorf and defeated his alternate form Ganon. When they believed him dead, Midna revived Zelda. No sooner had the rejoicing began than Ganon's body disappeared and only his spiritual power remained. Against Link's will, Midna teleported both he and Zelda to the plain of Hyrule just west of the Castle. There they watched Ganon destroy the castle and Midna.

It was then that Link felt a strange tightening in his chest, like he had lost something incredibly important to him. He wasn't sure why, but he felt very sad. Ganondorf appeared, reincarnated, ahead of Link and the Princess Zelda on the field. He was on his steed and beckoned for Link to do the same. Zelda employed her Triforce shard and called upon the power of the protectors of light to bring her power to stop Ganondorf. They delivered the Light Arrows to her.

Working in tandem on top of Epona, Link's faithful steed, the two managed to knock Ganondorf from his horse. Link engaged Ganondorf in a final, one on one, true swashbuckling style, sword fight to the death. It was at this point that Link began to fall to the dark lord.

Link's thought's shifted again to the endless nights that Midna and he had spoken together while resting from their journey. She would tell of her homeland and he of his. They spoke like friends that had known each other for decades. He felt very at home and safe with her, despite her appearance. He thought how much he simply enjoyed hearing her speak. What once was an annoying rattle in his ear, now sounded like the most exquisite musical masterpiece.

He even liked her name. The simplicity behind it, yet the majesty it implied. Midna. Midna. Mid… na…

Despite the two large holes in his body, the chosen hero Link slightly opened his eyes to see Ganondorf aiming a third strike, this time at his neck. Link could smell his own blood pasting him to the ground, he could make out the screams of Princess Zelda, and he could feel a cold tingling sensation. Still, his thoughts rested on Midna.

He suddenly knew why he felt so sad. He had watched his best friend die. No. He realized that she was more than his best friend. She was the person he loved. Dearly. He had watched this man kill her; this man now standing over him, preparing to sever his mortal coil. Still, her name rang in his ears. Midna.

The tingling sensation began to warm throughout his body and his senses began slowly returning to him. He couldn't understand why, but all he could think was, _this man killed Midna! This man killed the woman I loved! I will kill him!_

Ganondorf's smirk left his face as he watched Link's senses returning to him. He knew that he better end it now and so with the rest of his spent effort, he lunged the sword at Link's throat.

_I loved her and he killed her!_ Link's body, feeling oddly refreshed and revitalized, acted then on complete impulse. _Midna!_ The Master Sword was still clenched tightly in his grip and Link plunged it into the hole that he had opened in Ganondorf's armor. The large sword held by Ganondorf dropped to the ground, just inches away from Link's neck. The dark lord's body began slowly to arch backward, as his hand attempted successfully to remove the sword from its shallow wound. Throwing the sword to the ground, Ganondorf stood there stunned with pain.

Standing, Link realized what had happened. He saw a small trail of brightly lit particles; fairy dust. He had been saving a small fairy in one of his small bottles. Ganondorf must have broken the bottle in half with his stab in Link's chest. The fairy had healed Link's body and given him strength enough to finish this fight.

Picking up the Master Sword, Link thought his love's name one last time before plunging the sword through Ganondorf's heart. _Midna._ With a ghastly scream, Ganondorf bled and breathed his last standing on the field of Hyrule.

The force field fell, as did Link. The Princess Zelda ran to his aid, seeing that he was obviously not fully healed. It was a small fairy after all. He was, however, not in danger of death.

Link looked up to the ruins of the castle. What looked like a person observing the two was standing near the arch of the hill. Link knew it was just the pain and brokenness of his body, but he thought the person vaguely looked like Midna.

The shrouded person slowly made their way to the two half dead warriors of light. As it neared, the person dropped the shroud. It was a beautiful dark skinned, light haired woman. It wasn't an imp, but Link knew immediately who it was.

_Midna!_ He thought. _Ganondorf_ _must have been the one that put the curse on her! _She had returned to her original form. Link could not find the words to express how he felt. He was so at awe by her beauty and stunned by the revelation that she had not died, he was speechless. It was she who spoke first.

"What? Am I so different that you are speechless?" Her voice, music to Link's ears, soothed the pain now returning to his body. He passed out from blood loss and pain but had a wide smile on his face.

Several days later, Link had fully recovered at the clinic in Castle Town and he had escorted both Zelda and Midna back to the Arbiter's Grounds, where the Mirror of Twilight was held. It was to be a joyously sad occasion, when Midna would return to her people in all of her former glory. Link had been much too shy to share his new found feelings with his best friend, now turned beautiful woman. He wasn't sure he liked the "new her." While beautiful, he had fallen in love with the Midna that had helped him through his travels. The short, ghoulishly cute, impish Midna. In his mind, he knew that he loved her, the person, and decided that looks didn't matter to him.

His plan was simple; he would escort her to the Twilight Palace and tell her his feelings there, hoping against hope that they would be reciprocated. As the time drew near, it was a tear felt parting with Zelda. Zelda, as it turns out, had actually shared Midna's body for the time to help her recover. The two now felt like sisters and were sad to see each other go.

Zelda knew, however, this should be a happy time and she was already making vast plans for the renovation of this old broken down prison. She planned on hiding the Mirror so that only a chosen few could cross.

Next, Midna addressed Link, in her typical "I'm better than you… but I still think you're cool" fashion. It was short and sweet.

Link smiled and began his trek up the stair case that would take him into the Twilight Realm. Midna suddenly started to say something. Link stopped dead in his tracks.

"Link… I… I…"

A single tear fall down her beautiful blue skin and magically made its way toward Link. Link could only stare at the floating tear glistening in the sun and could see Midna turn toward the Mirror behind it. He could see her body begin the warping process and suddenly realized what was happening.

In a mad dash against time, Link flew up the stair case, reaching his hand out for the last remaining threads of cloth Midna had been wearing. He could hear himself shouting her name. His finger tips touched the edge of the cloth as it disappeared into the abyss of the warp. With tears already streaming down his face, his body slammed hard into the staircase. Before the thud of impact silenced, Midna's tear made contact with the Mirror and shattered it. Not into a million pieces, but into fine dust. The damage was irreprehensible.

Zelda had not been aware of Midna's plan, which was obviously the smarter one. It would have been incredibly difficult to simply hide the warp point into another world from people. Eventually, some evil or another would have slipped between the worlds to wreak havoc again. Through Midna's wisdom, both worlds had been saved from each other.

Zelda could only stand there as tears were falling down her face. She knew, however, that the pain she felt was nothing compared to the pain Link was feeling now. After all, she had shared Midna's body, mind, and thoughts for a short time. She knew how Midna felt too. She decided, however, to keep that information to herself. Zelda knew that giving that information to Link would have only made it harder on him.

Link could barely hear Zelda stepping away from him through his sobs. _How could she leave me?_ He thought. In the back of his head, he knew the wisdom of her choice. _But, _he told himself, _I didn't even get to tell her how I felt! _Link lay there on the steps to a realm he cold never visit crying for what seemed like hours. Zelda made her way from the room to allow Link the time she knew he needed to grieve.

She was thankful that Link and Midna had destroyed all the evil of this prison so that she and Link now wouldn't have to worry about enemies attacking. Through her tears, she could make out the castle in the distance. Work had already commenced to rebuild the portions destroyed by Ganondorf. She made a mental note to have a statue of Midna constructed in her private courtyard.

She turned a last time to look at Link. He was a mess and she knew he would probably never get over what just happened. She hoped, however, that Hyrule's Savior would be available to meet the demanding public's praise in a few short days when she announced the crisis that had only nearly been abated. It was going to be a tough few months for Link.

Midna felt the warm tear running down her face. She looked one last time into the eyes of the man she loved. Those bright eyes brimming with courage and love. _What a wonderful King you would have made to my people. I'm sorry for not being able to take you with me. _As she turned, she could almost hear Link's sudden understanding of the situation as she walked into the portal. She silently wept at the sound of him screaming her name; and she broke down entirely when she felt the barely noticeably finger tip at the tip of her clothing.

As she stepped into the courtyard of the Twilight Palace, she knew that she would never feel love like that again. He had been her best friend. She had grown to care for him as a friend before love him and she knew that was the best way. She loved him so dearly.

She could see her people noticed her and she stepped away from the portal which then snapped shut behind her. It was not her people, however, that she noticed. It was the beauty of the Twilight. Link had only seen a perversion of the beauty that her world held. She knew he would never get a chance to see its true beauty and she regretted that very much. In her sorrow and regret, she stepped forward to meet her people.


	2. Moving On

**The Legend of Zelda: The Search for Hope**

Chapter 2: Moving On

Months had passed since the threat of Ganondorf had been distinguished. After seeing Midna leave before his very eyes, Link had sorrowfully returned to Ordon. The first few days were joyful; all the children were reunited with Link and everyone in town could finally have a chance to thank Link with a meal or kind gesture.

What confused the people of Ordon village was this new demeanor Link always kept. Before his adventures, Link was always a rambunctious outgoing person. While still being kind and polite, he no longer spent much time outside of his house. He no longer worked up at the ranch. He even gave Epona to Ilia to care for. While still making appearances in town, to buy food and supplies, he mostly stayed in his hut on the outskirts. The townspeople couldn't begin to understand why a national hero had turned into a recluse.

When Zelda returned to the castle accompanied by Link, the town had a celebration. Zelda spoke of the deeds that were done by Link. However, at the request of Midna herself, Zelda kept the fact of her existence a secret. Zelda had told Link of Midna's secret after he had watched his love disappear for ever. He promised Midna, through Zelda, he would uphold her honor and wishes and keep her a secret.

It was perhaps this fact that hurt him the most. He had literally no one to talk to about his grief. It was impossible for him to let anyone else even know he was grieving for fear of divulging his secret. Many times Ilia had tried to comfort Link, coming by his house with fresh fruits hand picked, but Link would simply turn her away. He also turned the children away when they'd come to play or be shown how to use a sword by the sword master of the town.

After several months, the children began to worship another leader instead of Link. Oddly enough, that new leader turned out to be Colin, son of Rusl. Rusl had given his son strenuous lessons in the art of fighting and Colin had picked them up rather well. Malo still continued to run his shops by correspondence, occasionally making his way into Kakariko or Castle Town to check up on them. His parents were astounded that their young son had started and owned two of Hyrule's most prestigious shops.

When Link began distancing himself from his friends, Ilia began to feel sadness creeping in. She always knew her feelings for Link were strong, but she hadn't really known how strong. Her father, the mayor, used to tease her by asking her when young Link would come by asking for her hand in marriage. She would blush and fain anger in those times, but secretly had been asking herself the same question. She had tried so very hard to foster a relationship between the two. Things had been looking up until that day she was captured by a beast. She cursed that day.

During the few months passed since his brush with death, Link could barely sleep at night. He had reoccurring dreams of anger, pain, and destruction. Evil thoughts clouded his mind. Thoughts of depression and suicide crept ever closer.

He hadn't realized just how much Midna had actually meant to him. After the incident, Link had returned to the Arbiter's Grounds and the Mirror and remained for several days, asking the sages if there was any way to restore the Mirror. They adamantly denied any possibility. He sifted through the sand and dust but could never find pieces any larger than a grain of sand, if they were pieces at all.

Link's thoughts remained constantly on the good times he had had. The snide comments Midna used to make, or the way she would brush up against him, as friends do, before a fight, letting him know she was right there by his side. He would never forget the change in her life that he got to witness first hand; nor the tears in her eyes when she had asked him for one last favor.

"Link, can I ask you one last favor?" Midna had said that time when they first entered the Twilight Palace.

"Of course! You don't even have to ask," said the still naïve Link, wondering what could be drawing her tears.

"These people know that I abandoned them. However, they know that hope is coming. I want them to see you as the hope for their country. Please allow me to be your shadow for one last time." She had said it with a conviction that at the time Link didn't understand. He understood why she would want that, but not the deeper meaning it implied. _My shadow, for one last time._ He cursed himself for not being able to reach out to her in time at the Mirror again. He had done so on many occasions since it had happened.

In the months that had passed since her love had helped her return to her land, Midna had been restless. She had her duties as the newly appointed Queen of Twilight in this realm and those duties constantly bogged her down. It was fortunate, however, that those duties also allowed her to forget her misery for the time.

She had come of age in the time of her travels with Link. Before Zant had assumed control of the throne, young Midna had been only in Princess status. Upon her return, the people joyously cheered and confirmed in her age that she was now Queen of the Twilight. This change in position, however, meant that she would soon need to be married. While not having any direct control over the throne, as was Twili custom, the King would still be wed to her and she hated that idea. She knew it would be vastly unfair to whoever she would marry. She wouldn't, no, couldn't love him nearly as much as she did Link.

Still the suitor process drug on. She had been through several already, dismissing each after spending nearly no time with them. It was normal for the Twili Queen to wed rather quickly after coming of age and this reluctance to marry frightened the elders that Midna kept as counselors.

After speaking to her of the situation many times, she would reply to each with, "He just wasn't the one for me." Deciding to let nature take its course, the elders stepped out of the suitor arena and allowed Midna to make her own choice of husband.

Aside from the stressed of life as Queen and being forced to consider suitors, other aspects of life had been upsetting to Midna. Border disputes, trade wars, and corruption in small city-state governments led Midna to believe that the Twili realm was in fact evil.

The one aspect of life that had lightened her day was the day that her personal servant gave birth to her first son. Unfortunately, the servant had died in birth without hardly speaking to the fact that she was pregnant. Midna decided to take him in as her own. After all, she had finally decided to break the norm and remain a single Queen.

What drew her to this random child was the fact that, unlike most Twili, he had blonde hair and a strong physique, straight from the womb. She knew that this is what Link must have looked like when he was born, other than the bluish skin tone of course. The only unsettling thing about the child was his eyes. They had a feeling of greed about them that Midna couldn't explain. She let those ideas pass from her mind, however, and took great measures to spoil the child.

Link continued to live in Ordon for several years, each day becoming slightly more reclusive. He had now gained the reputation of being the village hermit and, living on the outskirts of town near the forest, few people would pass by his house. Ilia had since been married off to the young son of a wealthy couple in town. The marriage was the event of the year and Link did not attend. Epona had lived to a ripe old age in horse years and had gone on to the great pasture in the sky.

The night that would change all of this depression and sadness into a fervor of hope came the evening that one of the children decided to play a prank on "the hermit." Link was asleep, having his nightly dream of terror and pain, when one of the children decided to use a sling shot to shoot through the window. The plan was to break a pot or something to scare "the hermit" into coming out. The plan failed miserably, however, when the seed slammed through the glass of a lantern tilting it off balance.

The noise woke Link enough to come out of his dreamy state, but not enough to fully realize what was occurring.

The broken lantern, which was lit, fell to the ground and caught a nearby shirt on fire. As the hut began to catch and burn around him, Link's dream was getting worse than it ever had been before. Images of Midna being tortured by a giant pig resembling a man, Zelda being hung for some crime or another, and Link being shot through with an arrow by the women he loved.

Several minutes had passed since the fire started and the children responsible had run quickly back to their houses and pretended to be asleep. A rafter cracked and fell to the floor with a loud crash.

Barely hearing the actually crash of the rafter, Link awoke to find himself in a daze of heat and confusion. Why was his hut burning down? He glanced around to find some clothing to wear and grabbed his bow. Before he could slam his body through and out the window, his eyes caught a glimpse of something moving through the fire.

He thought it was the shape of a wolf, but knew his eyes were playing tricks on him. Whatever it was, it was fast and it was moving towards him. He heard a low growl and decided it best to run. Link flung his body through the second story which had been cracked by the seed, unknown to Link, and fell to the ground one story below. As he glanced back up to watch the remaining pieces of lumber collapse in on themselves, Link saw a bright glowing orange shape speed its way into the woods.

Following, Link sprinted after the object as fast as possible; convinced it had burned down all he had left, including a single shard found of the Mirror, his only keepsake of Midna. Link could barely make out the shape in the darkness as fast as it moved through the trees, but followed nonetheless. After several minutes, the object slowed down enough that Link didn't have to run to keep up.

Link once again turned on his hunter mode, which had remained dormant since the day Ilia was stolen. He had forgotten how good being in the wild felt and his spirits lifted slightly. He stalked the glowing beast through the woods as it slowly moved north. The beast slowly made its way across Faron Bridge into Faron Woods. Perplexed, Link followed.

Deciding to take lead of the situation, Link notched an arrow and prepared to fire. As the shaft left the bow and sailed its way silently threw the evening night, the creature turned around to meet said arrow. It passed directly through the muzzle of the beast, now seen clearly to be a wolf, and Link instantly recognized it as the face of the mysterious warrior that had helped him along the way when he was with Midna.

Excited, Link raced forward, but the wolf turned and ran again. Filled with excitement over meeting someone he might actually be able to talk to, Link gave full chase after the beast.

Through woods and lakes, Link felt his old grasp of nature and agility taking hold again. He found he could keep up with the wolf, much to his surprise. The wolf led through previously unknown areas of the woods for Link. He had never ventured this far as a boy and had yet to do so as a man.

Much to Link's surprise, they ended up running through some old ruins that he didn't know existed. And then it hit him. _The wolf led me back to the Temple of Time. _

Link watched the wolf run up into the chamber containing the Master Sword that Link had placed there years earlier. Walking slowly know, content that the beast had reached its destination, Link soaked in the area surrounding him. It seemed somehow different, somehow more inviting.

What Link saw when he entered the chamber threw him for a loop. He was gazing at the face of someone who looked remarkably like himself. While Link now wore his traditional Ordon farm hand clothing, this other Link wore the green tunic of the Hero spoken of in legend.

"It is I, the one that taught you the hidden skills of the master swordsman," said the new Link, with a smirk on his face. Several seconds of silence passed.

"So, you don't know what to think. Why you are looking at yourself? Well, I am the Hero of Time. My name is also Link and I look very much like you. This is the tunic you wore to defeat Ganondorf, a man I had already defeated. It looks as if when I and the Princess Zelda of my time sealed him, we simply sent him to the Twilight Realm and look what happened. It was for that reason I wanted to fix my past mistake and I helped you. I also helped you because you are my descendant. Now, however, I help you for a different reason."

Link still gaped back at his reflection unknowing what to say.

"I, too, lost a dear friend. Her name was Navi. She left me much the same way that Midna left you. I went on a journey to find her and got involved in many other adventures but ended up dieing without ever seeing her again. I know what you are going through, perhaps not to the extent of love, but of pain."

Link could feel tears welling up in his eyes. This person knew Midna existed. Someone beside himself knew she existed! He was talking to someone about the women he loved!

"Link, I don't want you to suffer as I suffered. When I taught you the last skill of the master swordsman, I believed my duty finished. However, I could not find peace. I revisited several of the locations I had seen you at and pieced together a story of what happened from the ghosts at the Arbiter's Grounds. I think I may know of a way to help you return to your lost love."

At this, Link broke down into tears of joy. The floodgates had opened and Link was finally able to release his pain.

"I don't know if it can work, as the Mirror was completely shattered, but I may have a way. It will take searching long and hard for an item that I haven't seen in hundreds of years, something hidden even from me. The Ocarina of Time."


	3. Old Nuances

**The Legend of Zelda: The Search for Hope**

Chapter 3: Old Nuances

"The Ocarina of Time?" Link was stunned. He had heard of this mystical item before in old village folk lore, but had always assumed, that like the tale of the scary monster that hid in children's closets, it was a fairy tale.

"Yes," the Hero of Time responded, "it has very mysterious powers on the flow of time. In fact, when I first entered this temple and used the Ocarina to open this door, I did not, at the time, know that it created the portal that allowed you to enter my time period. The portal that you used to gain entrance into the Temple of Time when Midna and you searched for a shard of the Mirror of Twilight."

Link was shocked. The Ocarina did in fact have magical properties that no one, even the royal family of Hyrule knew about. It always accomplished the task set in the player's heart, but sometimes created oddities in the time space flow without the user knowing.

"If we can gain the Ocarina, I may be able to get you into the Twilight Realm that you so seek. The bad part is, I have no earthly idea as to where it is."

Link began to shiver from excitement! He was going to find a way to search for his long lost love! His mind already began racing with thoughts of seeing her again, now aged a few years. He also thought of her reaction to his much more mature body after these few short years. While Link had kept to himself over the years, he hadn't lacked in physical activity. Link practiced outside, deep in the forest, at night.

Link had kept up with his sword training, becoming ever more proficient for, he told himself, the day when he would finally embark on this quest. He knew it would happen and he knew he had to train for it; and now it was finally happening. Link was all but ready to storm the gates of Hell itself to achieve this goal and he wanted to do it now.

"How do I find it?" Link asked without hesitation, anxious to get underway.

"Well, the first place I would think is Hyrule Castle. After all, it was a possession of the Royal Family. Queen Zelda may know its location." The Hero of Time lowered his head as he said this, a sign of his deep respect and fealty to the Royal Family of Hyrule.

In the years since the Twilight had nearly overtaken Hyrule, the widower King of Hyrule had become sick and died, leaving Zelda as heir and Queen. The people of Hyrule rejoiced over their new Queen, who had brought peace upon the country.

"Ok, then I'll head there!" Link turned and began walking in the direction he had come.

"Easy there, Link. I've got to at least show you the way out. Before you leave, take it." The Hero of Time motioned his head in the direction of the cathedral room housing the Master Sword. Link turned his head and, noticing the sword, slowly walked over to it. It had been years since he had held it. The pedestal holding it had grown even more ancient with age in the few short years since his last presence here. The sword, however, was as pristine as the day it was made.

Link put his hands around the sword and tugged. There was a bright flash of light and Link was dazed slightly. As his senses came to, he looked down and realized that he was once again wearing the tunic of the Hero. The Hero of Time now sported Link's typical Ordonian farm hand garb.

"Follow me Link, we have need to visit the spirit of light in Faron woods before we begin this quest."

"What's there?" Asked Link, eager to just leave the spot he was standing in.

"My body."

The child was a toddler now. Having taken his first steps and voicing his first words, Jashir had steadily grown. Midna looked lovingly at her step son from the throne. He was playing with the toy soldiers that she had given him on his last birthday. She had named him Jashir after an ancient Twili legend. Jashir was a hero said to have saved the world when an unknown evil had come. She felt that naming him Link would have torn her apart, so she decided on something a little more distant, yet something that would remind her of Link constantly.

Over the years, she had become a successful Queen. Many smaller countries had turned over leadership to her, becoming the first feudal states in Twili history. She had been such a good Queen that war between Twili and her neighboring countries (which was an oft occurrence) hadn't happened once. Midna had, however, angered more than one country's King when denying their request of marriage.

Midna still thought of Link most of her day. When she would find herself with an idle moment, she would reminisce of the times she was only four feet tall, wearing an overly large helmet making fun of a funny looking wolf. Her memories would turn to when Link dashed across the entire country of Hyrule, using all of his energy, climbing a castle, just to save her life. Or the look in Link's eyes and the sound of his scream as he realized that he'd never see her again.

Thoughts of suicide had entered her mind more than once. She had even picked out a successor should she ever be in that deep of depression. However, she had Jashir to counter the depression. He had grown strong in his few short years of life. He had been on his first hunting with the castle huntsman just that past month. The huntsman, named Tobold, had even crafted a small wooden bow for Jashir.

Midna felt particularly depressed this morning. She had awakened from a dark dream in which the memory of Link being skewered by Ganondorf had turned out vastly different. Ganondorf had succeeded in beheading the only man she would ever love. Upon awaking, she could only imagine would horrible atrocities had befalling Link since their parting.

Her refuge from these "what if's" was Jashir. Midna knew, just by looking at Jashir and his likeness to Link, that as long as Jashir existed, Link would as well. She felt somehow close to Link when around Jashir. Today, as he was playing below her throne, she felt a pang of sadness in her chest. Jashir would be the closest she would ever get to Link.

Midna looked down at Jashir. Something made her feel squeamish. It was those eyes. Those blood red moons. She had never seen anything like them, even in Twili country. Her eyes had aspects that were red, but those aggressive colors were softened by the yellow surrounding it. Jashir had no yellow. His entire eye was red. She couldn't even tell where he was looking. It was the only unsettling thing about him, yet his eyes sometimes made her feel uneasy. Most days it wasn't like that, but when she'd have a particularly powerful dream about Link, Jashir's eyes would, inevitably, seem cold.

His eyes today surveyed his mother. (To his knowledge she was the only mother he'd ever had. Midna had elected to wait until he was more mature to fill him in on the truth.)

"Mudda, is sum ting wong?" He asked in his broken toddler speech.

Midna merely smiled and glanced lovingly toward him. That feeling was back. It was a feeling she had felt back in Hyrule before Hyrule Castle had been taken over by Ganondorf. She had also felt it slightly before Zant took over the Twili Realm. She seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to bad things happening. It was these feelings that depressed her so. She knew something was happening to Link, even if her sixth sense could not reach across worlds.

"Nothing, dear. It's almost time for your music lessons."

"But Mudda, I don wana go. I wana stay and pway wif you."

Despite the good nature in his voice, Jashir's eyes stared unblinking at his mother and she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, where he was looking. She also knew that his eyes held a definite malice… directed at her.

Link and the Hero of Time had traveled through the forest already. Link was too confused at the Hero's response to his question. _What body? He's been dead for hundreds of years. Even in this form, he's a skeleton. _Link had been surprised when they had exited the ruins of the Temple of Time. The Hero's ghostly body had reverted to it's skeletal shape. The Hero explained that he could only maintain that image were there were strong memories of his presence in the past. For their trek through the woods, he would enter his wolf form.

Faron Woods had become a much safer place since Link had dispatched Ganondorf and his minions. There was still the occasional thief or nomad, but nothing threatened the two Hero's as the made their way through the foliage.

As they approached the glistening pond in Faron Woods, the Hero, now in wolf form, transformed into his skeletal being. He was much taller than Link in this form and much more menacing. But when his face broke into a skeletal grin, Link could see the kind nature behind it.

The odd looking pair marched slowly down the embankment toward the cool refreshing water. As they entered, Link happened to look down and see the reflection of the Hero in the pond. Standing next to him was a skeleton, but grinning up at him from the Hero's reflection was that taller imitation of himself that looked so uncannily like him he could almost be called his twin. Link chuckled quietly to himself and the duo made their way deeper into the pond water.

As they neared the center of the pond, a familiar shape arose from the water. The Guardian of Light in the Faron Woods, the large odd shaped monkey, had appeared neatly before them.

In it's typical slow speech, it greeted the two.

"Greeting's heroes. It is truly odd to find two such beings as yourselves in my presence at once. It has been a long time, Hero of Time. When you last saw me, I was but a sapling. As you can see, I've changed greatly these past few centuries."

The Hero laughed loudly and friendly. "Aye, but I look far worse in that time than you. I'm but a shadow of my former self and that's what I hope to repair. At least for a time."

The spirit seemed to ponder this. "There is enough of a spiritual memory in this place for me to grant you a temporary return to your body. But that's all that it would be. After all, it's been a long time since I grew in front of the Great Deku Tree."

Link, who had been standing quietly, suddenly gasped with exasperation. Yet another legendary tale he had once thought myth had suddenly come alive. Upon questioning this, the spirit explained the history of its pond.

The location of its pond had once been held within a grove of a particular forest called Kokiri Woods. The woods had actually been located fairly close to castle Hyrule. The Death Mountain of that time had grown cold and frigid since it's time, becoming Snowpeak mountain. The original Zora's domain, which had frozen over, had serviced this change as it was located quite close to Death Mountain. Since then, the melting caps of Snowpeak and the thawing Zora's domain created what was now Lake Hylia.

After the Great Deku Tree died, Kokiri Woods, no longer under the dominion of the evil spirits which had haunted the Tree, once again sprang to life and began to grow outward. As it seemed to the spirit of Faron Woods, the entirety of Hyrule had simply made a shift north and out. The Gorons had found a new mountain to call home. The people of Hyrule had found a new stronghold to live under. And the people had forgotten most of the tales of old.

The spirit had eventually changed its form to accommodate the change in the woods, the coming of the monkeys. As the son of the Deku Tree, it held all the same wisdom, knowledge, and power the Great Deku Tree had possessed. This grove was one in which the Hero of Time had first set out on his journey. The memories of his entire quest rested on these grounds.

"I can't promise you much time in that body, Hero. By the way, what is it you go by now?"

The Hero of Time remembered his name in life. He had been called it by his wife, the Princess Zelda of old. His name was Link. He had married her and lived with the then Queen of Hyrule, Zelda. The two ran a wonderful kingdom for many years, before she had grown old and sickly. He had been called Link. However, the Hero of Time knew that he could not go by this, as his descendant had happened to be named the same. He thought it better left unsaid.

"Darunia." It was the name of his Goron brother, whom he had grown quite fond of in life. Darunia was the patriarch of the Gorons at the time Link was King of Hyrule. The two had shared much time together, as Darunia was the also the ambassador of the Gorons to Hyrule Castle.

"Hmm. Ok, Darunia. Your secret is safe with me." Link knew, of course, that the spirit knew his true name and had agreed with him the wisdom of not sharing it. "I will restore you."

Link stared at the Hero. What he saw amazed him.

The Hero's skeletal shape instantly began shrinking slowly to the roughly the same build and height of Link. The tufts of dead and loose skin fell easily from the dusty bones. The armor, sword, and shield being worn by the Hero seemed to be blown to bits by a high wind. What was standing in front of Link was a plain, white, skeleton. Then, the truly amazing occurred.

Reddish pieces of meats began to seemingly grow from the opaque bone. As the reddish bits began colliding and connecting with the other reddish bits, muscles were formed. Clearer pieces of material, yet thicker and more rubbery, were forming over the muscles; fat. While the muscles and fat were still finding their proper places over the bones, what looked like thing lines of rope where circulating all over his body, beginning from his spine; veins. Organs grew from out of thin air in their places and Link could see the heart begin pumping.

Tan pieces of material now began forming over the reddish muscle and colliding with itself. Skin was forming, and hair on the scalp. It was blond, just like his own. The facial features began to become more defined, and Link began to recognize that this was the face that had stared up at him from the water of the pond, and across the Master Sword at the Temple of Time.

Cloth began forming. Ordon Village farm hand attire. When the transformation was complete, Link was standing looking at the Hero, Darunia, a mirror copy of himself. The two exchanged looks, as Darunia was looking at his hands and moving his ligaments, testing for pain.

"I'll change you slightly, for the people to tell you two apart," said the spirit, chuckling. Instantly Darunia's blond mop of hair had changed to a deep brown, nearing black.

It was a little bit before either Link or Darunia could say anything. After a few moments, the spirit spoke up.

"Now. You can only remain in this form for a short amount of time. I'd say you have around a month. My power is not nearly as infinite as the goddesses that created Hyrule. After all, they created me too; and hardly for the reason of reviving a long dead hero."

Darunia chuckled and glanced at Link.

"See, now I can physically help you on the journey too!" Darunia looked from Link to the spirit. "One more question for you, if you please. Where can I find the Ocarina of Time?"

At the moment that the Hero of Time was reborn, Midna felt a deep pang in her chest and an even deeper fear of the child she was now holding hands with, walking to music lessons.


	4. Mourning and Death

**The Legend of Zelda: The Search for Hope**

Chapter 4: Mourning and Death

Link and Darunia had found a short wide tree to spend the evening under. Link started a fire and Darunia hunted some small game. The Hero of Time still had his skills, it was like learning to ride a horse; you never forgot how.

It had been several days since Darunia had recovered his body. After sharing all the information that it knew, the spirit of Faron Woods sent them north to Castle Hyrule. The trek would take several days to get through the rest of the wood, the flat plains beyond, and through the foothills leading up to the castle gates.

Link and Darunia had a wonderful opportunity to experience each other as fighting partners. A band of thieves had been camping off the road leading through the woods. Upon hearing the pair traveling, this band had attempted unsuccessfully to raid them. It was Darunia's first real test of skills. The two heroes, having spent much time as wolves, knew their hearing was immaculate.

As a twig snapped in the distance, Link had already notched and fired an arrow in the general direction of the noise. This Darunia did as well, in response to a noise from behind. After the initial kills (Darunia's arrow was closer to the heart than Link's was, a fact that Darunia would never let Link live down.), the band attacked the two heroes.

In what proved to be a futile battle, Link and Darunia vastly out fought the small band of lackluster pirates. After dealing out the punishment, the two were on their way again.

This particular evening, the two had discussed the information that the spirit had given them. It wasn't exactly wonderful information, but it would suffice. The two just had to deliver a message to Queen Zelda and her husband.

That message: Seek the Ocarina. Danger is coming.

Midna had left Jashir at his music lessons and continued down the hallway. This palace was vastly different than the one Link had visited. Yes, he had visited this same palace, but then it was in the perverse world that Zant had created. Link was merely shown two great hallways and the palace chamber. Why Zant happened to leave the two hallways containing the Sol's of the palace was beyond Midna, perhaps divine intervention? The rest of the Twilight Realm had been absorbed into Zant's perverse concoction of ethereal material and light, like he was using the Twilight to absorb Hyrule into his kingdom.

The music lessons Jashir was attending happened to be in the chamber directly beneath the throne room. The view from the vestibule was incredible. Midna glanced over what was her realm. The beautiful palace below her, the palace walls beyond. Past those, lay Jerup Town. Like Castle Town in Hyrule, Jerup Town lay connected to the palace walls. It was the bustling commerce center of the Twilight Realm, known as Twilitia.

Beyond Jerup Town were vast hills and dales, leading to the mountains which surrounded this castle, her country's capital. Beyond the mountains lay various other towns, villages, and settlements. Most notably, to the north, her country's largest exporter of Iron was located in the Gerule Mountains. Unlike Hyrule, there were no other races in Twilitia, only different classes of Twili. This was a very rigid cast system.

High Twili, the royal sect of Twili were taller than the rest, with slightly uneven eyes. They wore the typical royal garb of head robe that reached the floor.

Second to the High Twili were the Midsecium. The Midsecium were average size Twili which were primarily your born leaders and financial advisors of the countries various provinces. These Twili made up Midna's counseling cabinet and most of her friends. She didn't socialize too much with the High Twili and their robust and often complex speaking. While a High Twili herself, Midna chose to remain close to the commoners.

Last in Twilitia are the Lotus. Lotus Twili are the short, imp size Twili that come in all shapes and colors. Most often, the Lotus Twili will have small markings in green, red, or blue across their bodies. These denote the Twili's position in life. Green being the lowest of the low, those that cared for livestock and were barely above livestock themselves. Red and Blue markings carried slightly higher ranks, being miners and fishers. Some Lotus have no markings, these are the highest of the Lotus.

Zant's spell upon Midna those many years ago carried a significantly painful sting when she realized that he had turned her into a Lotus and even worse, a green lotus. No one would believe her plight in that form and so she sought refuge in the old tale of the Light Realm thought to exist beyond some unknown portal.

After returning and being named Queen, Midna now armed with empathy, immediately disbanded the rigid cast system. While still in place, for order, it was possible to move between casts and marry up or down. She had also significantly increased help toward the Lotus and misfortuned Midsecium.

Midna's thoughts returned to her as she stepped back from the edge of the high balcony overlooking her domain. She turned toward the throne room and, like she had done many days previous when she felt disturbed by Jashir's unexplainable eyes, she sent her hand maids away. When she was left entirely alone, she walked past the throne and to a wall with a hanging torch.

Pulling once on the torch, the wall to the left of Midna slowly began pulling back. When she was able to fit her body into the narrow opening, Midna slipped through and pulled a second torch, closing the way behind her. This narrow passageway continued on for a small while until it reached a hidden balcony.

This balcony carried special meaning to Midna and she had often spent her afternoons here. The location was beautiful. It was located directly behind a cascading waterfall. The palace had a tube system which brought water up from the nearby Relon Lake. This water would cascade down the palace from the top tier, through the gardens, and eventually down a river back into Relon Lake. The effect was beautiful.

She walked out onto the balcony and turned to face the small box that had brought her sadness and happiness at the same time over the years. This small chest had once contained the rather large key that allowed entry into the throne room when Zant had his reign. He though the key would be safe out on this ledge, but the courageous and intelligent Link had managed to find it.

She and Link had rested on this very balcony after obtaining the key that would end Zant's reign over her realm. The waterfall was disgusting then. Zant had destroyed it and everything else she had held dear. During their discussion and rest, Link and Midna has discussed their future plans. Link told Midna of all the time he wanted to spend in Twilitia after defeating Zant. He was looking forward to seeing the kingdom in all its former glory. Link had also mentioned it wasn't fair that Midna got to see Hyrule in all its glory and that he didn't get to see Twilitia. He was kidding of course, but the comment not hurt Midna a lot.

She had acted on what she thought was best. _My romance can not come between my people and their safety_, she had told herself then. Oh, how she had regretted that decision. She remembered how she had fallen in love with Link in this exact spot. Before, she had never experienced such closeness with anyone. No one ever could understand her, not even her parents.

It was his eyes she had fallen in love with. She had watched Link kill many enemies, often in cold blood. He would shoot them from behind with arrows, never offering them a chance to fight back. She loved that ruthlessness about him. However, when she looked into his bright eyes, she plainly saw what a kind and loving person Link truly was. He was willing to kill just to protect her and her kingdom. On this spot, those years ago, Link had said the key thing that made her love for him finally blossom. It was as they prepared to leave the balcony for the final attack on Zant.

"Midna, don't worry. I will defeat Zant and restore your kingdom. For all you've done for me, helping me save Hyrule, helping return Ilia's memory, and being my friend. From all these days of traveling with you, I'm glad to have gotten to know you. You are the first truly deep friend I've had and I just wanted to thank you for it."

At the time, Midna didn't quite know how to respond. The statement hit her like the blunt edge of a blade and she was slightly dazed. She had been feeling the same for a while now, but had suppressed the feelings as just friendly sentiment. Link said one last thing before turning and descending the pathway down the side of the palace.

"I just wanted to know that I will protect you. Forever."

As Midna remembered Link's voice in this place, she began to cry for the millionth time out here on the secret balcony. She chose this spot to do her crying because only she and her advisors knew its location and also because the waterfall effectively hid her crying. She had taken that promise away from him and she would never forgive herself.

The thought of suicide ran through her mind again. A simple leap from the balcony would be more that sufficient to rend her skull literally brainless. Midna stepped near the edge and looked down into the gardens far below. She could see Mell, the gardener working away far below. Mell was a Green Lotus who Midna had hired after her return to the Twilight Realm.

She had slipped once before and nearly fallen to her death when some unexplainable force had allowed her belt to catch in a small alcove in the edge of the balcony. Ever since then, she had felt oddly protected her, like she couldn't jump even if she wanted to.

Today, she decided to test that feeling of protection. Midna backed up to the doorway she had entered through. She thought for one last second and lept toward the edge of the balcony.

It had taken several days for Link and Darunia to finally reach Hyrule. They had considered stopping at the newly formed Lin Lin Ranch, just outside of Faron Woods to purchase a horse, but decided against it on account of lack of rupees.

The two had finished their trek through Hylia Pass, the route through the hills just outside the south entrance of Castle Town. As they neared Castle Town, neither could hear the familiar hustle and bustle that normally occurred within. Exchanging glances, Link and Darunia walked more briskly toward the entrance.

Upon walking up the many flights of stairs, the two noticed a sign stuck squarely in the middle of the two mammoth entrance doors to Castle Town. No crowd, nor guard was visible inside.

The sign very simply stated, "IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE, DO NOT ENTER."

Deciding that their lives held no apparent value, Link and Darunia entered without hesitation. They didn't find much within, either. This was the market district of Castle Town and it had been completely ransacked. Thankfully, no corpses were left to rot in the city streets so no pungent smell had to be avoided. Link's first stop was Telma's Bar. Link had to know if she was ok.

Walking downward into the back alley where the bar was located, Link began to feel an ill wind. He grew cold to his very core. Ignoring it, Link forced the locked door open. The inside of the bar had been ransacked as well. Tables were strewn about, chairs were busted and the barrels of ale had been removed. Link took a glance up and noticed that none of the pots had been destroyed. How odd. Jumping to the worst conclusion, Link immediately sprinted toward the gates of the Castle.

_Ping._ An arrow narrowly missed Link's shocked face as he entered the town square. His natural instinct was to grab the bow hanging from his back, but before he could even knock an arrow, he watched the limp body of the assailant fall from the spire on which he had been sitting. Puzzled, Link looked to his left. Darunia had knocked and fired far quicker than Link could have imagined.

"I am the Hero of Time, after all," replied Darunia with a grin in response to Link's awed gaze. In the space of the one line Darunia had spoken, another _ping_ sounded, this time at Darunia's feet. Link decided he was going to take this one down. One less arrow in his quiver, Link chuckled at Darunia as the second bowman fell from his post.

The two decided to take cover as they made their way toward the gates of the castle. After four more bodies had fallen, Link and Darunia finally made it to the bridge separating Castle Town from Hyrule Castle. Oddly enough, for all the security, the draw bridge was down. Link, still young and ill prepared, made a mad dash across the bridge. Darunia attempted to stop him, but fell short as he watched the hulking mass of a gigantic Bokoblin. This particular green mass was fairly familiar to Link. He couldn't place it, but he knew it from somewhere.

Unfortunately, the monster had landed directly between the speeding Link and the despondent Darunia. It carried to great Axes each easily the size of Link and Darunia. The giant mass wore several layers of protective armor and a tightly fitting helmet with holes far too small to fire an arrow through. From the first quick glance, it appeared that the monster had no weak point in his defenses.

Link and Darunia had unknowingly pincered the mass between them, something that Darunia hoped to use to their advantage. The large ogrish being turned his squat face to Link and uttered a guttural moan of verbiage that could barely be interpreted as, "I sorry, you strongest, but you leave. I no choice but to join strongest side."

At this, Link's memory shot back. This was the guard that had given him the key and access to Hyrule Castle. This being had also captured Ilia and the children. Link had wanted nothing more then to exact ruthless payback on this creature before he had handed over the key. Once he had stated his peace and left, Link had felt somewhat sorry for the dimwitted creature of darkness. Fate had played another great trick on Link, as he would now be forced to face the same opponent again.

Hoping for a peaceful result, Link looked into the ogres eyes, "Well, I'm back, would you allow us passage?"

As if in reply, the mountain charged Link, axes flying.

Barely managing to yank the Master Sword from sheath in enough time to parry the attack, Link was flung backwards into the closed gates of the Castle. Pain surged throughout his body and the familiar feeling of adrenaline came pumping full throttle into his veins.

Darunia, watching the slugfest, sprinted toward the hulk's backside. Leaping into the air, Darunia slashed at the helmet with his sword. After performing the move that would shatter a foes helmet, Darunia landed beside the lump of flesh that was Link and helped him to his feet. The chance for attack had left, as it had taken all the time that the jolly green giant was dazed to help Link regain his senses.

With both of the two now on this side of the bridge together, the monster had nothing to do but charge both of them. Before it could do so, Darunia whispered something into Link's ear and turned to face the impending doom. Link readied himself as well. The two looked like twins, holding their blades straight up from the hip, strengthening their attack arms.

The axes seemed to carry a mind of their own as they whipped back and forth effortlessly across the front of the giant's body. Darunia prepared for the oncoming power blow.

The normal _clang_ that accompanies a sword fight was non existent today. The sound was a _crash_, like a canon being fired. Both Darunia and Link's arms buzzed with pain, but they had managed to parry the tree trunks of doom without moving from their stance.

Darunia shouted, "Now Link!" and the two carried out the make shift plan that Darunia had whispered into his ear. Link, performing a perfect rolling back slash, managed to rend the massive enemy of his layers of armor. While he may have been strong and well protected, he obviously wasn't smart putting all the ropes tying the armor layers together in the back.

Darunia took this opportunity to land a killing blow into the dazed mammoth's chest. Uttering something in the low primal tone that was not understandable, the gigantic green hand reached toward a pocket. With his dieing breaths, the guard pulled out the key to the front gates of Hyrule. He glanced backward at Link, who looked hopeful. At the last moment before death, the gigantic eyesore stuck the key in his mighty hole of a mouth and crashed his jaws of death down, destroying the key.

He fell over and died chuckling to himself. In anger, Darunia removed the beasts head and threw it into the river passing underneath them.

Looking despondent, Darunia asked the inevitable, "Now what?"

Midna's body was running full force to her death. She had decided that she would test the limits of fate and this protective feeling she felt at the exact spot she had fallen in love. As her bodied neared the edge, she prepared herself for the coming true of her suspicion that she was not protected any longer.

"Stop"

Putting an incredible halt on her muscles; it was all Midna could do not to fall over the cliff. Only half of her feet remained on the balcony, but she had no balance. She felt her body begin to tumble over the edge of the cliff. The mysterious voice she had just heard did not speak again.

Her memories flashed back to all those good days she had spent with Link. She knew her life was ending. She couldn't tell if her body had already hit the ground or not yet. Through what she knew were tears and a smile, she was content in what was about to happen. As her thoughts focused once more on the man she loved, she felt a jolt and all went black.


	5. Revelations

**The Legend of Zelda: The Search for Hope**

Chapter 5: Revelations

Midna opened her eyes. She was in the midst of a beautiful grove with a large pond directly in front of her. Beyond the grove mist had formed and nothing outside could be seen. It was very ethereal. Midna could tell this was still within Twilitia, as the twilight clouds were still hanging dryly overcast above her head. Looking forward, the water in the pond seemed incredibly clear. She could make out the details of the floor of the pond easily. Lilies and small water grasses were growing from the edge of the still water. From somewhere in the middle of the pond, a golden light was shining forth.

"Midna"

It was that same deep slow speaking voice that had stopped the full force of her body from flinging itself over the side of the balcony edge. Midna was puzzled; no one else was present besides herself.

"Who's there? What do you want?" Midna attempted unsuccessfully to use her royal tone to hide the fear in her voice.

Speaking slowly and methodically, the voice continued.

"Come now, Midna. Has it been so long that you would forget a sacred grove? You spent time in many other areas exactly like this in the land of Hyrule. After all, the Goddesses created Twilitia as well as Hyrule. In doing so, they also created guardian spirits for both worlds. Guardian spirits that are capable of communicating with each other across the dimensional gap."

Midna stood there stunned. She had forgotten about the spiritual groves in which rested the guardian spirits of Hyrule. She hadn't even thought to the possibility of there being such spirits in Twilitia. The spirit continued.

"I am Horel, guardian of this valley. It is the spirit's decision as to where to place its sacred grove. In fact, we can move them to. As such, mine is directly above your throne room. Granted, this sacred grove you see doesn't actually exist, but my presence has and always will rest always above your head. I chose the spot above the palace, because of the watchful eye that I could keep on the leaders of Twilitia and the kingdom. Recently, you have been sitting beneath my waterfall and weeping to yourself. You keep all of your inner pain deep within. You have not given up your love, Link, the Hero of the Realms."

At the sound of Link's name, Midna began weeping again. She looked up at the spirit with questioning eyes; questioning both how the spirit knew of Link and how the spirit could so carelessly bring up such a deeply painful topic. As if sensing the questions, the spirit began to answer.

"I know of your journeys with Link. Despite my absence during his visit, as a result of Zant's accursed magic, I still keep constant contact with my fellow spirits here in Twilitia, as well as those in the Hylian realm, or light realm as you call it, and others from other realms that none currently know about. I stopped you from committing the worst mistake possible in your situation: suicide. Your body is currently sitting back on the balcony and is quite safe. I say that suicide would have been the worst mistake, because of the news I shall give you now. It has come to my attention from Faron of Faron Woods (I believe you met him at one point) has come into contact with both Link the Hero of Time and Link the Hero of the Realms. It has also come to my attention that the Link you so dearly love has set out on another quest; to find you."

Again, Midna wept, this time harder than every before. These tears were filled with the sadness of loss and yet the hope of happiness now returning. She fell to her knees as she continued to sob. Midna could barely hear the words of Horel behind her crying, but she knew that more information was going to be given her.

"Link's ancestor, Link the Hero of Time, has taken bodily form once again and has vowed to help Link the Hero of the Realms to find you no matter what. However, what Faron did not tell them was the danger that is approaching. An imminent threat has once again reared its head to defeat both Hyrule and Twilitia."

Midna's crying ebbed and an emerging sense of duty and calling was approaching the pit of her stomach. She had dealt with enemies before and she was dead set on helping Link in whatever way she might.

"Somewhere in this land is a danger growing. A similar danger is growing in Hyrule. What Link needs most from you is something you have hidden in the royal family vault. It's been there for hundreds of years and I need it."

Midna listened as Horel explained the situation more fully to her, including what exactly it was that Link needed. She didn't understand how it could possibly help, but she knew she should trust the spirit's words.

Link and Darunia slinked their way through Castle Town, avoiding several other sniper bowmen. A memory had clicked in Link's head as to a way into the castle. It was painfully obvious and he was unsure why he hadn't thought of it earlier, when Link and Darunia were inside of Telma's bar. The observation that he had made; that no pots on the top shelves had been broken, seemed a clear indicator that the secret passage was still in operation.

The difficulty, however, would be in fitting inside the small passage way. On the previous encounter, Link had been in wolf form and could have easily slipped into the passage. This time around, Link was unsure of how the two of them would be able to get into the castle.

The two had arrived unscathed, while the snipers didn't have it so easy. The two Heroes had decimated the enemy's numbers by fifteen snipers and a few swordsmen. Upon entering the tavern and examining the small hole that allowed passage to Hyrule Castle, Link and Darunia were stumped. With his new body, Darunia had lost his power to transform at will and Link required Midna's power to transform.

At the thought of Midna's name, something peculiar happened. A quick, but blinding flash of white light scored the room and what was left after was a small glowing orb. Dangling from the golden orb was a gigantic and disproportioned ape. It was Faron, the guardian spirit.

"Link, I have urgent news for you. I have here a recording. Horel, the guardian spirit of the palace valley in Twilitia sent it to me."

At the mention of Twilitia, Link's extremities began to shake. He had often had these panic attacks at the mention of the land his love now resided in.

"Link, this message is only for you. I'm sorry Darunia. I'll give it to you now."

What Darunia saw after that startled him. Link's body slumped to the ground and his eyes rolled back into his head. Darunia could only see white. Next, Link was frothing at the mouth and shaking horribly.

"What did you do to him, Faron?!" Darunia shouted in terror. The power of the guardian spirits was not something he had ever prepared to deal with.

"Do not be concerned. He is receiving the message. I'm sorry, but this particular method was needed to deliver this message. Its… special. He will likely be moody and won't tell you all of what occurred. Do not pressure him. He will tell you what you need to know. The rest will come in time."

Darunia could do nothing but watch the shivering body of Link do its mad drunken dance across the floor of Telma's bar.

After several minutes, Link's body slowly began to lessen its quaking. The froth subsided and Link's pupils came out from within the dank depths of his brains. A smile formed across his face and he shakily stood to his feet. Darunia helped him regain his balance and wiped the remaining sputum from his mouth.

"What did you find out?" Darunia asked, cautiously.

Link inexplicably began darting around the bar. He was looking for a scrap piece of paper. Upon finding a rather large drinking tab behind the bar, Link searched for a quill. This he found rather easily. Without speaking a word to Darunia, Link scribbled something on the tab, folded it, and shoved it into Darunia's hands.

"I need for you to go to the Gerudo dessert. You've been there before. There is an area near the Arbiter's Ground's I need for you to go to and I need you to hurry. Years ago, those grounds were known as Ganon's Tower, as it was the origin of Ganondorf all those years ago. Later, it became the cruel prison now haunted by its denizens. The Ocarina, oddly enough, is hidden there. Look for an inscription which states: _The Land of Shadows lies nigh at hand, a Hero's instrument shall death command. _"

Darunia looked at Link with an expression of disbelief. _How ironic that the Ocarina was hidden at a prison_, he mused.

"You have until sunset tomorrow to arrive. There is a stable at the eastern edge of this town. Hopefully you can find a horse there. Sprint to Lake Hylia and take the canon there to reach the dessert. On the piece of paper I wrote you is a melody. It is simple enough to play, especially for one so versed in its application. After all, you learned many of melodies on it when you were on your quest."

Darunia's head was being racked by all this intake of information, but he knew he could handle it.

"I need you to play that melody the exact moment that the sun sets tomorrow. I will not tell you what it will do, but I need you to play it. This world is about to tumble into darkness and that Ocarina is the only hope. Faron will find you once you've played the melody. Go, now."

"What about you?" Darunia quickly asked.

At this question, Link merely smiled. He glanced down at his left hand. Darunia's glance descended to Link's hand as well. The familiar triangle pattern was beginning to form. Darunia had faint memories of his journey to save Hyrule, in which that piece of the Triforce had belonged to him. It was now in Link, the Hero of the Realms', hands.

Again Link smiled and his body suddenly began to shrink. His legs broke at the knees and hips and shrank into upside down pear shapes. The breaks in the leg began to form small caps and were simultaneously growing hair. Link's fingers broke and disappeared in the mounds of fur now forming at his palms. His nose elongated and his teeth sharpened. His cloths melted away into his newly formed coat of fur and his sword and shield were no where to be found. A smile Hylian royal family crest was mounted onto his head.

Darunia was amazed at the pain this process must have repeatedly caused Link over his time as Hero of the Realms. For a second or two more, Darunia pondered how Link was suddenly able to transform into his wolf form. However, a vicious sounding growl was emanating from the dangerous beast now standing in front of him.

After a single bark, Darunia knew Link was telling him to get his hind-end moving. He turned and ran out the door to the bar. Faron was just as surprised by this turn of events as Darunia was. While being a guardian spirit, he was prohibited from learning the contents of one spirit's message to another being, be it a spirit or Hylian. Faron couldn't help but feel a peculiar sadness within, like the death of a close friend. He couldn't place why, but knew something had happened. Deciding that Horel knew what he was doing, Faron dissolved into the surrounding space and returned to his sacred grove to await news of the Hero's journeys.

Midna began walking back from the vault which had contained this piece of information that Horel had required. She grasped in her hand a tablet upon which was written: Ganon's Tower – The Land of Shadows lies nigh at hand, a Hero's instrument shall death command. She could not figure out the importance of something so seemingly trivial. Aside from the name of the evil one, Ganon, there was nothing else outstanding about this piece.

In fact, Midna could remember the story of the acquisition of this particular article. From what her parents had told her about things contained in the vault, this was a very special piece from a wandering person calling herself a Sheik. Her name was apparently Impa and she had come from someplace on the light side of the Mirror of Twilight. She came with this tablet locked inside a chest. Its value, she said, was incalculable and it needed to remain hidden.

Because of all of the secrecy surrounding this seemingly useless item and because the thought that Link was out there striving to fine her, Midna's heart was pumping excitedly fast. She picked up her pace and quickly pulled the torch in the throne room down, opening up the secret passage. In excitement, she didn't close the passage way.

Upon arriving at the balcony, she walked straight onto not the balcony, but into the sacred grove housing Horel. In his usual slow speech he explained.

"I can not send that tablet to Link. But I can send a message that I record to him. He needs the information held on that tablet. I can also let you give the message to him."

Midna choked up. She was about to send a message to the person she loved, the person she had not seen in years. This was all too much for her.

"He'll… he'll be able to… see me?"

"And hear you. Please, would you tell him the message inscribed upon that tablet? You may add any personal effects you wish."

Midna was hard pressed for the words, but slowly began as Horel transmitted the message to Link through Faron.

Surprised by her own prude-ness, Midna was unable to sum up her feeling for Link in the message. She had been dreaming of something like this being possible for years and now, when she had the chance, she could not find in herself the strength to make Link's journey harder. She began slowly.

"Hello… Link. It's been… a long time. I… sure have missed you. I heard your voice… as I walked into Twilitia screaming after me… I've hated myself every second of every day since then.

Horel, the guardian spirit of my palace in Twilitia says that I must give you this message. It says, Ganon's Tower - The Land of Shadows lies nigh at hand, a Hero's instrument shall death command."

Horel added some words to this inscription for Link's benefit. He told spoke of an ancient melody passed directly from the goddesses to the spirits. Horel told Link of the outcome of this melody and what would take place shortly after playing it. He also explained Darunia's part in the mission as well as Link's. Link's mission was now set.

Through tear filled eyes, Midna could see the faint outline of the face of Link. She stopped for a second before attempting to continue.

"Link, I… I…"

"It's ok Midna," said the face looking back at her. It was Link's voice. He was communication over the bridged gap between dimensions via Faron and Horel's powers. The two simply looked at each other for several seconds, neither knowing what to say and each feeling the longing to be together. After several seconds, a third voice, unknown, interjected into the conversation.

"_Hello mommy. Is that daddy?"_

Midna turned quickly around to see the body of Jashir arriving in the grove. Horel felt a deep tension and spiritual power arriving in his grove and he attempted to stop this small Twili from entering, he found, however, that he could not.

"_Mommy shouldn't leave secret passage open for young miscreants to find."_

Those eyes were back. Those horrible blood red eyes. Midna felt them tracing her up and down. Jashir's voice was decidedly darker and more evil than it had been that morning. As Jashir lifted and pointed his hand at Horel, Midna screamed and Link attempted to this young small Twili from harming his love. A bright stream of magic protruded from Jashir's hand and severed Horel's golden core in two, the transmission failed and Link began to awake beneath the standing Darunia. He could still vividly hear Midna's scream. As Link explained to Darunia about Ganon's Tower and the Ocarina, his heart was screaming for vengeance against this unknown Twili with red eyes who called himself Midna's son.

After watching Faron and Darunia leave, Link hurriedly ascended the shelving to find the opened entrance to Hyrule Castle. Princess Zelda was in extreme danger and it was up to him to save her. As Link sped into the catacombs, he quickly remembered his last speed run through these sewers, to save the woman he loved. He was now racing against the clock to achieve the same ends one last time. He let out one primal roar of vengeance and continued on.

Darunia had found a horse, malnourished perhaps, but sturdy nonetheless. Link and he had already dispatched of the sniper guards and so he had no opposition in arriving at the stables. As he sped across the long bridge out of Castle Town, he could make out a loud wolf cry and he smiled to himself. Their epic battles were just beginning.


	6. Unforeseen Consequences

**The Legend of Zelda: The Search for Hope**

Chapter 6

Link surged through the sewers below Castle Town. It was going to be tough getting through the area without the help of Midna. Her beautiful hair had helped him through many jams in this particular section of Hyrule. As he sped through the darkened hallways of the catacombs below Hyrule, Link's thoughts dwelt on the danger that was now facing Midna.

Link could remember the voice of a child, with a malice behind it that was unexplainable. He could feel the massive drop in energy as Horel the guardian spirit died from a magical blast sent forth by the child. _How could a child command that kind of power?_ Link thought to himself.

The hallways were narrowing now and Link could hear the familiar flowing of water. He was nearing the dungeon of the south turret of Hyrule Castle. The rats hadn't given him much trouble and there were no guards in sight. That fact troubled Link.

As he neared the basement of the south turret, Link's wolf sense of smell began to pick up strange odors. The smell of death. As his speeding form came into the turret, Link was appalled to see corpses piled on top of each other. By the mangled and broken forms of the bodies, it looked as if they had been thrown from the top of the turret into a place that they wouldn't be missed. There were bodies of soldiers, hand maids, and children. Disgusted, Link moved on.

Fortunately, the ropes between the broken chasms of staircase were left intact and he was able to make his way slowly but steadily up the winding turret. As he neared the top, Link could make out the form of two Bokoblin guards standing just outside the door to the turret. Filled with rage over the atrocities that had been committed, Link wasted no time spilling their blood. It felt good to be a wolf again and Link had no problem remembering where and how to rend a jugular from a neck. The attack was stealthy and merciless. The two bodies fell before the creatures had any notion they were being attacked. The blood in his mouth still disgusted him, but Link knew it was just another sacrifice that he would have to make.

Before continuing on, Link needed to get an idea of what had happened to Hyrule Castle and Castle Town in his absence. He checked to make sure there were no other guards around and slowly walked to the edge of the pier. His gaze down amazed him. Burning piles of Hylian soldiers lay below. Standing around the pyres of flesh were hundreds upon hundreds of Bokoblins. Near each was a larger green monster. They appeared to be captains.

He wasn't sure how, but Link knew this must have been an all out war on Hyrule Castle. There was no other way any group could have overthrown the castle. By the freshness of the bodies still burning, Link knew it couldn't have happened very long ago either. That was why news hadn't yet reached Ordon of the attack. Link also noticed several holding pens around the courtyards. Each pen held many denizens of Castle Town.

Link felt relieved that the evil creatures hadn't slaughtered all of the town's folks. He could make out the familiar forms of Telma and the Postman down among the captives. Holding back a low growl, Link pulled his gaze away from the courtyards below and glanced up at Zelda's loft up ahead. It would be a short journey across a few rooftops and some near fatal jumps, but he would make it. Even without Midna's help.

Running forward, Link hopped from rooftop to rooftop, sending several guards to their deaths along the way. A feeling of deep sadness permeated the world around him. He knew something bad was going on. As he neared the closed door to Zelda's loft, Link closed his eyes and concentrated.

A searing pain tore up his right forearm. The form of the Triforce of courage once again manifested itself and the pain shot through his body. Link's paws were elongating, and his fur falling away. The pain progressed deeper and his nose slammed its mass into his face. His eyes were receding and his sight blurred. After several seconds, he was standing several feet taller and again had on the green tunic of the Hero. He looked out over the horizon and knew that it was close to dawn.

With Master Sword in hand, Link opened the door into Zelda's loft.

Darunia sped through the plains of Hyrule. After exiting Castle Town, he had ridden his horse almost to death, riding at a full gallop for several miles. The horse finally gave way in sight of the large bridge that hovered several hundred meters above Lake Hylia. Dawn was approaching and Link knew that he had less than twelve hours to make it to the Arbiter's Ground way out in Gerudo Desert and he didn't know how it was going to be humanly possible.

As the horse finally fell and gurgled its last few breaths, Darunia dismounted and ran full force toward the fence that separated this plateau from the abyss of air that lingered over Lake Hylia. Darunia neared the fence and dived forward over the edge.

The silence that followed was very soothing to Darunia. His body fell silently toward the water below. The wind was cool to his skin. The dive took about half a minute for him to finally hit water. When he finally connected, the water was cool but comfortable. He had natural swimming abilities and he still had the old Zora relic that allowed breathing under water; the relic that he had received so many years ago. He surfaced after several minutes and looked forward. He could see the odd building that housed the canon into Gerudo Desert several miles in the distance. He didn't know how he could get there quickly, so he dove again and made his way underwater toward the building. He was hoping to pass a Zora near their water temple and hitch a ride.

He swam on for what seemed like hours. His thoughts focused on the speech that Link had given him. What in the world was going to happen when he played this unfamiliar tune on the Ocarina? Why did it have to be at sundown that night? What had happened to make Link smile in such an evil way?

Darunia's musings were cut short by a short shockwave rippling through the waters of Lake Hylia. Darunia was relieved to see a dark mass in the waters ahead. A group of Zora had sent a wave of communication toward him. He obviously could not understand this peculiar form of messaging, but he was glad to see them nonetheless. They could all speak Hylian, so he wasn't worried.

He came upon the small group of warriors that spent their time protecting the entrance into their underwater temple and smiled broadly. The conversation that followed was hard to understand, even for the Zoras. While Darunia could breathe underwater by use of the ancient relic, it was still a mess for anyone to actually speak underwater. It was for this reason the Zora used the shockwave messages. Deciding not to speak, but merely to attempt some sort of signing, Darunia merely pointed to the building still several miles off and made wide sweeping motions of angst to the Zoras.

One of the Zora, a smaller boy who looked like royalty, swam forward. He spent several seconds looking over Darunia's body and finally swam back over to the other Zora warriors. After several waves passed from his body, the group hastily and aggressively swam over to Darunia. They each grabbed a limb and took off at a ferocious speed. Initially, Darunia had been slightly frightened of the odd behavior, but soon realized that they were taking him exactly were he needed to go.

He had never felt anything so rushing. He could not keep his eyes open due to the amount of friction against his pupils. His adrenaline pumped and his smile broadened. This was amazing! It took only a couple minutes for the Zora to whisk Darunia across the lake and up onto the banks of the strange house. Upon exiting the water, the small boy approached him again, this time speaking plainly in Hylian.

"I am King of the Zora. You are not him, but you resemble a young man who once helped my kingdom. You have the same sense of dignity, honor, and courage about you that he did. You also have the same sense of urgency. Whatever quest you may be on, may you prosper and see it to fruition. My people have sensed danger in this world once again and we have an old prophecy that speaks to these unfolding events.

Hyrule Castle has once again been taken over by foreign bands of evil. Two warriors are spoken of in our prophecy. These two warriors are said to be very similar in appearance. We have several sources that spoke to us about two similar warriors crossing the fields of Hyrule making their way to Hyrule Castle. I can only assume that you are once of them? Our prophecy also tells of one warrior's need to visit a "dry desolate palace unto the dead. By your need to visit this small building, I can only assume that you are one your way into the Desert of the Gerudo?"

Darunia was shocked at the wisdom this small boy contained. He needed to know what this prophecy stated.

"Yes, I am on my way to the Arbiter's Grounds. Please, can you tell me the prophecy that you speak of? It may be of great help to my quest," Darunia said while attempting to ring some of his clothing out.

"I can not tell you of this prophecy. To do so would break Zora tradition. Only a Zora can know a Zora prophecy. What I can do for you is to give you something."

The young king took something out of a small bag hanging from his waist. On it he scribbled a short sentence, one that Darunia could not make out in the early morning light.

"Do you know why we have and guard the underwater temple, young warrior? After all, you've been inside of it before, haven't you, Link, Hero of Time?" The king smiled a knowing smile as he handed over the parchment. The smile and demeanor told Darunia that his legend of been passed down through Zora lore. Apparently, this young boy king knew his history.

"I would not presume to know of the Zora's motivation behind having such a dismal place," Darunia said, returning the knowing smile to this boy.

"We have it because of the prophecy I mentioned. We have guarded this underwater haven of Zora for millennia because one day, this world will be completely destroyed and filled with evil. The role of the Zora will no longer exist. We have only that temple to go to for safe haven. Dark times are upon us. We began our retreat into the temple soon after Hyrule Castle had been attacked. Many Zora died there attempting to defend the Castle. After many bloody days, we simply had no choice but to flee. Our seeing you and your companion have only confirmed our fears that this world is doomed to destruction sooner than we thought.

That piece of parchment I handed you will get you a special "flight" from the man that owns this establishment. It should take you directly to the Arbiter's Grounds. You must hurry if you are to accomplish your goals. The prayers of the Zora will be with you."

Shocked, Darunia couldn't find much to say to the speech he had just received. In his silence, the young boy waved farewell and the group dove once again into the dark water of Lake Hylia. The sun had completely cleared the horizon now. It was early morning. He had to hurry.

Midna awoke. She was hovering several feet above and behind the throne in the throne room of the Twilight Palace. Facing directly in front of her was the veranda that she often looked out upon her kingdom from. What she saw angered her beyond words.

There was a dark purple curtain of ugliness hanging just beyond the palace grounds. Her arms were outstretched to her sides and her legs hung limp below her. As she looked around, she realized that she could not move her limbs. She could, however, move her head. She looked down and noticed a small pot-like belly and wide hips. Her legs were short and her feet tiny. Her arms were enormously longer than her body and she felt out of proportion. She had familiar green lines arching across her body. She was again in the form of a Green Lotus Twili.

Midna screamed.

As if in answer, a body walked toward her from across the room. In the darkened room, Midna could tell it was the small body of Jashir.

"What did you do, Jashir? What did you do to mommy?"

Jashir walked forward slowly. His eyes were glowing red. He stopped near the throne she was hovering over and he sat. His hands caressed the arm rests and he glanced up, smiling. The look was complete evil.

"You are not my mommy. Midna, you fool. You took me in from a handmaiden who could not explain her pregnancy. That handmaiden died shortly thereafter."

"I loved you! Why are you doing this?! I took you in as my son! As royalty" Midna's voice was now a high shrill scream. It was ironic how now, when she was again in this ugly form, she was reminded so much of Link. It was this voice that he had fallen in love with and this body too.

"That was your mistake, Midna. You should have killed me. Ganondorf knew Zant was a fool. Zant was only a power hungry warmonger. He knew Zant's reign would end at your hand and at Link's."

Midna was shocked to hear Jashir speak Link's name. She had never mentioned that name to anyone other than her personal advisors.

"Yes, you fool, of course I know about Link. Ganondorf was slain by a Link hundreds of years ago and sealed away in this realm. Only his spiritual force remained and it was that force that found Zant. Ganondorf knows the prophecies of the goddesses that created this world far better than you. He knew that every time he was reborn, a hero and a princess would be born to stop him. So, the only things he needed take care of were the princess and the hero. He used Zant, knowing that his destruction would come."

Jashir now stood. It amazed Midna to be hearing this young child speak so much like an adult. Jashir slowly paced his way forward and turned to look up at his surrogate mother.

"The last attack was only a ploy to separate the hero and the princess. At your departure from the land of Hyrule, Link's heroism was destroyed. He no longer cared about the kingdom, or the land, or the princess. In Link's absence, Ganondorf's spiritual energy which had remained in this land crossed back into his frozen body in Hyrule. He used his power to take Castle Hyrule once again and this time, his target is princess Zelda. In fact, he should be killing her as I speak."

Midna screamed once again, shaking with all her might unsuccessfully trying to escape the magical barriers holding her in place. Jashir continued.

"But you are surely wondering where I fit into all of this, yes mother? That handmaiden was impregnated by Zant's possessed body. She was cursed and unable to speak. You see, when Zant was possessed by Ganondorf, Ganondorf was able to merge his seed with Zant's. So, you can almost think of me like Ganondorf's son. And yes, I have all of his power and knowledge. That knowledge and power was dormant until you unsealed the placard with the inscription on it. The power contained in that inscription had also been dormant. I want to thank you for releasing me. I was able to destroy that moronic guardian spirit that hung around the top of this palace.

It was a sheik named Impa that brought that placard into this land. I've destroyed that placard and used its energy to add to my own. Whatever good it could have done you is now gone. Shortly I will return to my father in Hyrule. You will accompany me across the dimensional divide so that Ganondorf can finally put an end to you. He has need of you across the divide."

Screaming, Midna was barely able to get out the question that had plagued her since she had shattered the mirror all of those years ago.

"What about the mirror? I shattered it to avoid this!!"

"Stupid fool. Ganondorf has the Triforce of power. That Triforce enables him to use many different means to cross the dimensional gap between the worlds created by the goddesses. If one means is closed off, he simply must find another means. Sometimes it's the greed shared between him and another, as it was when Zant chose to take this kingdom and Hyrule. And sometimes, Ganondorf can use much more… foolish means. Have you ever heard the term 'hopeless romantic'?"

Midna knew then that it was the connection she still undeniably shared with Link that was the bridge for Ganondorf to cross over. The moment Link found Darunia in wolf form and his hope had returned, Midna had felt the pang in her chest after looking at Jashir. The emotional connection had been made and Ganondorf was free to cross. This was completely unforeseen by herself or even Zelda.

Jashir turned and walked out of the room, leaving Midna screaming in hopeless anger both at Jashir and herself, for loving Link enough to bring about evil once again.

Link slowly opened the door to Zelda's loft. Inside the room, nothing was stirring. On the right side of the room was something new that hadn't been there before. A small one person boat was sitting next to the bed Zelda had used. It was ornate and the front end was crafted to look like a jolly dragon with a large white beard. Almost in ironic sadness, the small boat did not have a mast crafted onto it. It sat there, staring at the wall.

Link slinked his way through the room and past the small red boat. There was evidence of a struggle. While his hearing wasn't near as good in human form, Link could hear that the struggle had moved downstairs. Link followed.

What he saw made his heart skip a beat. The man he had killed several years ago was now standing towering above Zelda. He had several arrows sticking from his armor, none of which were fatal, and Queen Zelda had many cuts and bruises across her form. Despite the massive size difference between the two, it appeared as if Queen Zelda could hold her own against the massive brute.

Link hurried down the steps, taking several of them in stride. He screamed, mainly to garner Ganondorf's attention.

"You again? You're not supposed to be here yet!" Ganondorf turned quickly to parry the thrusting sword of Link. Queen Zelda lept to her feet and she ran down several stairs, distancing herself from the dueling pair.

"Where is the King?" Link screamed to Zelda over the battle that was beginning between himself and the king of evil.

"Ganondorf used his magic on him. I think he's dead!" Zelda shouted from behind her now readied bow.

"He'll be feeling lighter than ever! He was such a fat King; I thought I'd allow him to… float!" Ganondorf spat out in hate. Grinning, he turned from Link and dove down the center of the turret. As he fell several stories, Zelda tried firing an arrow, but missed. Ganondorf flung his blade out sideways, jabbing it into a wall just above Zelda's head. His body came to a halt and landed just a few feet from Zelda.

Ganondorf yanked his gigantic blade from the wall and made two swipes. The first was vertical, severing the bow in two. The second was horizontal. Link's scream echoed off the walls of the castle turret. Blood sprang forth from Zelda's mouth. As she fell over, her body fell in two separate directions. She died, unceremoniously, looking up at link and searching for hope there.

"Hah! One part of the Triforce is done for! You alone can not stop me from finally taking this kingdom in my hand! I have defeated the princess born by prophecy to stop me, and now I face only you. This land will shortly be mine! _En guarde_ Link!"


	7. Worldwide Exodus

**The Legend of Zelda: The Search for Hope**

Chapter 7: Worldwide Exodus

Sunset was less than a few hours away. Darunia had been riding this gigantic boar for nearly six hours. The desert heat was permeating his body's cooling systems. The sweat just wasn't enough anymore. When he had been in his wolf form, Darunia was not affected by the heat, but since taking a true body again, the sun's rays became a burden to him.

After the Zora had left him, Darunia had made his way to the front door of the giant, oddly proportioned building. The odd round man that welcomed him in had a warm smile for as early as it was. Darunia had wasted no time with pleasantries and had shoved the note written by the young Zora King. Astonished, the man ran his fingers through his thinning mop of hair as he read the short letter.

"I don't know if I can do this anymore, boy," said the strange man in the bright morning light. "But I'll try. You see, I run a small amusement attraction here. This home actually houses a canon that I can use to fire you to the top of the ridge. I used to be able to shoot people into the desert as well, but that's long since been disabled. In fact, the last kid I sent there was by appointment from one of my oldest friends."

The man must have noticed that the look on Darunia's face meant him imminent danger, for he continued, "But uhm, I just remembered! You see, that same strange kid that I sent brought me another larger canon. I could probably fire you most of the way across the desert. That would save you several days on the journey! How's that sound?"

Darunia agreed and followed the man out the door. After walking for several minutes, the large canon came into view just beyond a ridge. The river on its right reflected the sun's light perfectly. The scene was beautiful. Darunia wasn't enjoying this slow pace. He knew the man meant well, but he also knew the man did not understand the imminent danger.

After arriving at the canon, the man quickly readied it and turned the gigantic apparatus around to face the desert. Darunia thanked the man for his kindness and the man muttered something under his breath. Darunia thought he caught the words, "danged Zora."

The flight was actually rather intense for Darunia. He had never been through anything like this before. It was just as silent as his plunge into the lake, however. The air was cool and the descent was going to be hard. As Darunia cleared the cleft of the desert, the air warmed several degrees. He could already feel the air being more saturated with sand particles. The flight began to sting slightly. Below him, he crossed the point at which Link had landed years ago. Ahead of him, Darunia saw his eventual destination, near the Gerudo Mesa.

He came in low and fast. He was unsure of how Link had managed to land gracefully, if at all, and he was now confronted with the same dilemma. Luckily for him, his body had managed to find a soft spot in the sand and his body slid only ten feet before coming to a halt. The lowness that he had flown in removed much of the physical damage that his body would take before falling apart.

As Darunia stood to his feet, he noticed two things. First, a wild giant boar often used by the Bokoblins was sitting in the cool shade of the Mesa. Second, and not so fortunate, Darunia could tell that the impact of landing had removed some of Faron's magic on his body. His left shoulder was slightly faded and see-through. Beneath his fading shoulder, he could make out a small glimmer of golden fur. His spiritual form was returning slowly. This wasn't going to be an easy task.

The boar was still hurdling on through the sun baked desert. It was mid-afternoon now. Only a couple precious hours before sunset and he still had no idea where he was going to find this Ocarina. The boar was heading towards the massive coliseum complex that was the old prison grounds for the most hardened criminals in all of Hyrule.

Darunia had been there once before, in his spiritual wolf form, to teach the new Hero a few of his old bag of tricks. That journey had simply been a matter of warping his form, traveling by blood and flesh was much trickier. After all, it had been a few hundred years since he had last done so. The limitations annoyed him.

The Bokoblin strongholds outside the old Arbiter's Grounds had long since been burned away by Link in his last journey here. Darunia could make out new huts and freshly put out fires. There seemed to still be Bokoblins in the area. He wasn't worried; they were largely unintelligent and certainly not capable of taking down the Hero of Time.

An arrow fired past Darunia's shoulders. A second arrow slammed into the right shoulder of the gigantic beast he was riding. Angered by the arrow, the boar sped forward, straight toward one of the huts an arrow had come from. Darunia was now completely out of control of the beast.

Much to his satisfaction, the monster decided to slaughter the enemies for him, all he had to do was grab his shield and attempt to protect himself from arrows. He wasn't entirely successful either; he took a couple nicks on the back of his legs.

The ride ended abruptly, after the monster had done away with its attackers, near the base of the Arbiter's Grounds. A small watering hole that looked like it was stocked with water was shimmering in the hot sun and the boar was thirsty.

Dismounting, Darunia looked at his surroundings. The Grounds were vast and tall. He had no clue how to even start searching for the Ocarina. He had watched as Link and Midna had made their way to the top of the coliseum to the Mirror Chamber. He was unsure how, but he knew of the Mirror Chamber. It had always existed here just past the Gerudo Desert. He did not, however, visit it during his journey. In fact, he hadn't passed the Mesa last time. The Mesa used to be what he had dubbed the "desert" temple, just past the Gerudo encampment.

Now all that remained of that temple was the Mesa. Sand had long since covered the rest of the temple with its ornate carvings and beautiful artistry. On top of the Mesa was a hole that led to the wildly legendary "Cave of Ordeals." He wasn't so sure what was so awesome about it, he had beaten the enemies in that temple when he was but a child. After letting his thoughts wonder for just a second, Darunia decided to attempt whatever needed to be done to find that Ocarina.

Climbing the first set of gigantic steps into the massive establishment, Darunia felt sufficiently pressured. The sun was nearing the western horizon and the unknown pressure was getting to him. He had to find it fast. It was sudden, but he felt a presence just above his head.

"Link, follow my voice. I'll lead you where you need to go."

"We need to contact every Zora and commence with the evacuating of the realm into the temple."

The Zoran King made his royal proclamation to his close subjects and other royal figureheads. The time had finally come to put their temple to its actual use. He was aware, as were all the leaders of each race, that each other race also had a similar prophecy and a similar temple. Word had already been sent out to the forest folk of the south, the Goron of the west and the frigid people of the east. The Hylians were going to have a much tougher time seeking shelter from whatever apocalypse was about to face this world.

While the Hylian King and royal bloodline did have a similar prophecy, they had abused their time and decided against building temples and locating to specific areas of the world. They had spread out and individualized themselves into provinces and sectors. The Zoran King could only feel pity for the humans now, for their King and country had been destroyed by an invading force and they now had no hope of surviving whatever divine punishment was about to come.

With the royal proclamation, every Zora within the lair made their way out into the river that would eventually carry them to the water temple. Droves upon droves of Zora swam close enough to each other to make swimming difficult, even in this vast river.

To the west, the Goron Patriarch made a similar proclamation. Kakariko Village was cleared of Gorons, as was the pass to their temple. Carrying only what they could, Gorons were making their way inside Death Mountain and the mines contained within.

To the south, the Forest Temple was being bombarded by small child like elves, each with a fairy. Besides these children and unbeknownst to them, a smaller race, almost unseen, the Picari, were also making their way inside. The monkeys also made their way in.

The human world was in much more of a panicked state. Word had reached Kakariko Village when the Gorons were leaving that the world seemed to be ending. Most chose not to believe it, but some did attempt to save their own lives. Ordon Village was not informed of the ensuing madness. The last Sheik in the old abandoned village had been bed riding for quite some time. She now died painlessly with a smile on her face, knowing that the age old prophecy was about to take place. She had felt it in her chest.

No one had bothered to warn the two funny old men running the amusement show on Lake Hylia and the prisoners in Hyrule Castle were in just as poor a state as those two men. Not to mention, they also had a few thousand Bokoblins roaming around them.

The surrounding provinces outside of Hyrule we oblivious to all that was happening. Certain tribes and races had their own prophecies regarding the coming of a destructive force from the goddesses that had created the world long ago. Most of these did not believe, however, in the existence of such a being.

The Zoran King stood atop the waterfall that lead to his throne room. Below him he could see the flocks of Zora leaving their domain for who knew how long. He wasn't sure he'd even be able to see this realm again. He glanced up to see Hyrule Castle in the distance. This beautiful sight had long been a source of encouragement and hope. Tonight, it seemed like a dark omen of evil things. To his right, the bottom tip of the sun had just tipped the horizon. The twilight was nearly upon them. With one last prayer to the goddesses for the safety of this world, he dove into the dark waters below and joined his kinsmen and their journey towards safety.

Midna felt her body slowly floating forward. Beyond the veranda, she could see that her people had again been turned into the mindless shadow beings once used by Zant to do his bidding. She had lost interest in screaming at her surrogate son and her body felt drained by all the physical struggling she had done.

The small form of Jashir could be made out walking into the room.

"I've got news for you, mother," Jashir stated with a spiteful glance. "Ganondorf just killed Zelda. One part of the Triforce is now moot. Link is all that is left in the Triforce to stop Ganondorf, and I'm sure you'll be wonderfully glad to hear that he is fighting Link as I speak!"

Midna's face fell open. Her mouth was wide and she could barely choke back the tears. She had watched from afar as Link had battled with Ganondorf the last time. The battle had nearly claimed Link's life. It was only by luck, and a bit of Twili magic, that the bottle containing a fairy had been smashed by Ganondorf. She was not going to be there this time and she knew Link did not have the upper hand. If Ganondorf's spirit was able to cross the realms on one shred of hope to revive his body, surely he was more powerful now. After all, Jashir had told her that this was his main attack and that last time was merely a diversion. As tears rolled down small impish face, Jashir continued.

"Ganondorf will win this time. Link has no one at his aid. Both the King and Queen of Hyrule have been killed. The citizens of Castle Town have been rounded up and there is no one near Link other than Bokoblins. Link is done for."

Midna leveled her eyes to Jashir's. Her tears were flowing now, both for Zelda and for Link.

"You were and still are my son. I know that you are being used by Ganondorf. I'll fight for you, Jashir. I'll fight for you and for Link."

Jashir laughed at her and spat on the ground.

"What do you think you can do? My magic vastly out powers yours. I have more magic than Zant could have ever hoped for. In just a couple of minutes, I'm going to open the warp to Hyrule Castle. Link should be done for by then. We'll make our way to the courtyard entrance."

With that, Midna's body began silently floating its way in the courtyard. Her body came to a rest the exact spot that it had several years ago when she originally left Hyrule. A few minutes later, the squat form of Jashir made its way slowly across the yard.

"Here we will wait for the opportune time. Once Ganondorf has finished Link, he will open the passage way."

Midna clinched her teeth and kept her silence, through her tears.

Darunia followed the strangely familiar voice through the bowels of the long dead prison. The way was lit and the torches seemed to have been burning for a long time. A few wild animals had attempted to make an easy meal of Darunia, meeting the same end as every other attacked Darunia had ever faced.

There were no skeletal warriors, no ghostly faces, no angry demons, and no poes. Darunia was quite saddened by this lack of activity. His other adventures had always included much more action. He wasn't exactly sure, but he felt like he had been traveling the same route Link had taken several years ago. The surroundings also felt very similar to the old Desert Temple he had bested as a child.

The trek wasn't too challenging. The voice led him through many corridors and finally to a statue. At the base of the statue, the figure seemed to be riding some sort of mechanical board.

"Take it. You'll find that it is easily removed."

Darunia grabbed the round mechanical device and pulled. Surprisingly to him, it separated from the marble crafted wall quite easily. He wasn't even sure what it was but figured it must be needed to get to where this voice needed him to go.

After retracing all of his steps, Darunia had followed the voice right back to the center room he had started in. In front of him was a massive ornately decorated wall with what seemed to be a groove running around the diameter of the room.

"Use the device there."

Darunia knew he had heard that voice before, but he still couldn't place it. Trusting, he took the metallic edge of the device and attached it to the groove in the wall. Instantly, the device started pulling from his hand. It was all he could do to pull the machine from the groove.

"You must ride it."

Throwing caution to the wind, Darunia quickly attached the mechanism and hoped on. What followed was a dizzying and fast ride up the wall. Eventually Darunia could stand up and not fall. The magical staircase was taking him up to the top floor. As he flew up the wall, he could see through several equally placed windows that the sun was half set behind the horizon.

After scaling the wall and walking through a massive room with a gigantic pit, Darunia ended up on the top of the Arbiter's Grounds. In front of him he could see the giant rock that served as the actual metaphysical portal to Twilitia. Just in front, he noticed the circlet that had once contained the Mirror of Twilight. The shards could be seen glinting in the sand, each as tiny as a particle of sand itself. It was a dazzling display, here during the sunset.

Darunia walked up the small staircase leading to the circlet. He saw a few shards still remaining from the destruction. He could feel a pang of sadness in his chest. He had lost a friend too, just as Link had.

As his memories began to waver, the ground shook. It began slowly, but quickly garnished speed. Darunia was flung from his stance and dazed. Just above his head, he heard, "HEY LOOK!"

Ahead of him, a gigantic skeletal body had thrown the large black boulder to one side and was now emerging from below the sand. Excited to finally have something worthy to battle, Darunia readied his sword and shield.

Those last words had finally clicked the memories in his head. Over his shoulder, with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes, he shouted, "Thanks for leading me here and I hope you can help me with this battle. I need to finish it quickly. Let's go, Navi!"

The clash of blades could be heard throughout the Castle Grounds. The Bokoblins far below were too drunk and busy fighting amongst themselves to realize that an amazing battle was being fought overhead. Link was now alone. Before, Link had the combined powers of the Twili and the Triforce of Wisdom. Link now possessed neither. He now only had his precious Triforce of Courage and its limits were being tested this time around.

During the immense battle, Link managed to see that the sun was now half set. _Only half an hour left before my time expires._ He thought.

After slaying Queen Zelda, Ganondorf had turned in mocking fury and fired a new weapon at Link. It was a small projectile. After slamming into his knee, Link could feel liquid being inserted into his veins.

"Hah! I've finally gotten you both! Link, that dart had a deadly poison etched into the point. You have roughly an hour before that poison claims your life. Before then, your body will begin to weaken. I've already killed you!" Ganondorf had screamed in fury at the time. Since then, Link had managed to prove a worthy adversary, despite his wound and lack of help.

Every minute, Link could feel the poison slipping closer to his heart. His body seemed to achieve a sort of auto-pilot and his mind began to wander. Thoughts of his beloved came to mind. Memories of their journeys together. Then sadness, that he would never again see her, nor their dreams come true. Then anger, that this man had so cheaply and easily beaten him. He knew he wanted to kill Ganondorf at whatever cost. He wanted to kill the man that had ruined his life, even though he knew his time was up. When the sun set, Link would die.


	8. Apocalypse

The Legend of Zelda: The Search for Hope

Chapter 8: Apocalypse

A bright light flashed above the gigantic skeletal form's skull. A small round bright being hung above it. From her position, Navi screamed the weakest positions to Darunia. Apparently, the joints on the legs and arms were weakest. The beast had destroyed the small pedestal on which sat the Mirror of Twilight's holder. Aside from Darunia, Navi, and the monster nothing else was left within the antechamber. Beyond the columns, Darunia could see that he had less than fifteen minutes to find and play the Ocarina. His heart skipped several beats.

* * *

Link had since ripped the small poison arrow from his leg. Blood trickled from the open wound. He could still feel the poison seeping even closer to his heart. Ganondorf and Link had been at if quite some time. Neither side gained a particular advantage. Link couldn't begin to guess why Ganondorf hadn't used any of his extreme magical skills yet, but he knew they must be on their way. In terms of actual hand to hand combat, Link knew he could best Ganondorf eventually; he was quicker and more agile than Ganondorf. Unfortunately, Link didn't have until eventually arrived. Between parries, he quickly noted the position of the sun. _Fifteen minutes left._

* * *

Midna fought against her tight magical cell. Jashir chuckled quietly to himself, but otherwise didn't make a noise. That same bridge that Ganondorf's spirit had crossed, that bridge of love, now connected her with some feeling of danger for Link. She couldn't be sure, but she knew that he was in trouble. In her mind, flashes of things she could only guess to where flying around. Images of Link being struck with a poisonous arrow. A double image of Link: two Links being struck with an arrow. Two Link's being stabbed in the chest by Ganondorf with Zelda directly behind. She knew her mind was recalling images from the past, when Link had been stabbed before, but why the double image? She could only guess. Jashir put his hand up and cast a small spell. A whirling hole of black formed to their right, over an absence of land.

* * *

Darunia rolled to the right, avoiding a massive fist crunching the ground. Navi continued to direct Darunia's movements through the battle, because Darunia was incapable of seeing the entirety of the beast. His sword was not enough against the joints of the beast and nothing else in his armory would do. He'd have to find another way to disjoint him. From his current position, Darunia could get to either leg rather quickly. Behind him was the small spinning apparatus that he helped him get up here. He had nearly forgotten about it and was quite sure it wasn't worth a danged thing now.

Darunia narrowly dodged a smashing foot, which left a crater the size of a small Goron. As Darunia rolled to his right, he was struck by a fist. His body flew several feet through the air before smashing into one of the many columns surrounding the antechamber. The resulting impact caused the pillar to come crumbling down with Darunia's body as the fulcrum. It took several seconds for the giant mass to finally land a blow to the skeletal being.

As the first rocks slammed their way into the skull, the entire body seemed to implode in on itself. The skull was forced straight down the vertebrae and onto the ground. Without the spine or rib cages, the arms and legs hung suspended comically in the air for a moment of two longer, before finally falling to the ground.

For a second, there was silence. Then Darunia began to slowly lift his beaten body out of the debris. When he had finally recovered himself, he noticed that large spots of his tunic and back were literally gone. He could see through several patches of himself now. His body wasn't going to last for much longer. Beneath this outer shell, the golden form of his inner wolf was showing through. He had to find the Ocarina and fast.

"Navi! Look for an inscription about the world of shadows being close, and about a hero with a musical instrument!"

Navi obediently did as commanded. Her trickle of particles tickling Darunia's nose. After several minutes of searching, Darunia had a sudden horrible feeling. To his right, the sun was sinking ever closer to the horizon and to his left, he thought he saw a bone twitching.

A crashing sound was the next thing either of them heard. The fallen stone column crumbled to dust, and from beneath it came the floating skull. Slowly but surely, the skeletal being reconstructed itself; minus a few ribs that had been shattered. His left shoulder had also been crushed to bits, so only one arm remained.

"I don't have time for this! Navi, keep looking! I can handle this!"

The team set out on their tasks. Navi looking insipidly for any traces of an inscription. Darunia ran for the legs of the giant beast where its arms could not reach. He was right. The beast stumbled around looking for a means to attack this small target. Darunia looked up to see a foot come crashing down. Dodging and swinging, Darunia managed to contact the beast several times in the shin before it realized what was happening. The attack didn't affect the beast much. It would take several hours of pounding to destroy that thick bone, and Darunia didn't have that kind of time. Only minutes remained before the sun would clear the horizon and all hope would be lost.

Darunia climbed some of the destroyed boulders and stood to face the beast. Growling, it swung its right arm at Darunia, missing badly. Darunia used this opportunity to dive onto the skull of the skeletal body. Since there was no flesh to attack, Darunia concentrated his heads on the small fractures in the skull. The attack worked.

The skull crumbled from the repeated blows. Again, the bones fell to the ground. Darunia wasn't so sure he had defeated the monster and made his next moves carefully. He quickly grabbed the two large shin bones and threw them from the top of the coliseum. The beast no longer had any legs.

Sure enough, Darunia watched as the bones started quivering and eventually repaired themselves; minus legs. The torso of the beast still floated in the air at around the same height as the legs had carried it. However, it was now vastly more maneuverable. It looked eerie, an arm and a few ribs floating in the air.

"I found it! I found it! The inscription is on the side of the column you knocked over! I can see the Ocarina beneath some rubble!" Navi yelled from behind the monster.

"Grab it for me and get it to me as fast as you can!"

Thinking he would just play the melody from beneath the bones as they hovered, Darunia ran to the middle of the antechamber and reached into his tunic pocket, retrieving the manuscript that Link had written him. He glanced it over trying to memorize the simple pattern quickly.

Darunia did not notice that the big brute used its remaining arm to grab a large boulder that had been resting near Darunia's impact spot. As Darunia turned to face the monster's front side, he was struck with a mass of granite that crushed him between itself and another column. The bones in Darunia's leg's where destroyed beyond recognition.

What could have been interpreted as a howl of laughter came from somewhere within the bones of the beast, as it made its way over to the broken and bleeding Darunia. He could tell that his legs were now gone and that his waist was starting to disappear. His false body had reached its limit. He was not going to be able to defeat this monster.

As Darunia's vision began to waft in and out, he could see a bright light coming from within the monster. Much to his surprise, this bright light was carrying a blue instrument of some sort. It was Navi and the Ocarina of Time. She let go of the Ocarina in Darunia's hands and left to go distract the hunk of bones long enough for Darunia to play the melody.

Darunia put the Ocarina to what remained of his lips and began quietly. He didn't have much air left in his lungs, but he knew he had to finish it. What followed was a song so beautiful that it rang throughout the land, despite the lack of air flow coming from Darunia.

Legends would eventually be told of a song so beautiful that it made the skies cry. It would become known as Din's Aria. Thankfully, any recognition of exactly how to play the song never seemed to be told. Around the world, even outside of Hyrule, people turned to the east toward Gerudo Desert. They could hear a beautiful melody coming from the land of thieves.

The Zora King had been sending his followers into the Water Temple for several hours now and the last of the guards was now inside. All that remained was himself. As he started swimming in, he heard the beautiful melody. _So, the prophecy has indeed come true. Well met Hyrule, well met. Good luck to you boy. _And with that thought, he disappeared behind the door and a bomb went off, sealing the entrance.

The gigantic Goron Patriarch was fulfilling much the same duty as the Zora King. He had led his people into the mines they had built many years before. He looked to the east as the melody began and he knew he would never hear a sweeter song. He looked pitifully down at the rooftops of Kakariko Village and the spires of Hyrule Castle, knowing that few if any of the Hylians would make it.

The last Picari that had yet to enter into the Forest Temple sealed the door at the signal of the Song of the Goddesses, as their lore called it. The King's and people around the rest of the world heard the song and were in wonder. What kind of song was it? What was going to happen? Evil presences had already infiltrated their lands and they knew that something drastic needed to happen for this world to be cleansed.

Ilia sat with her husband and new born baby beside the hearth when the melody reached Ordon. She felt an incredible pain of sadness and she began to weep. The folk of outlaying provinces like Ordon had no such prophecies to help save them, nor had word of the impending doom reached them, however Ilia knew that her long lost love was about to go away forever. Her husband bent in close to comfort her from her unnamed trouble and as he did so, the baby began crying along with mother.

Rusl and Colin where training in Faron Woods when the beautiful sound came. The two looked to the north east and moved in to stand close together. As the first few drops of rainfall fell from the clear blue sky, Rusl knew that the two of them should return home to his wife, Colin's mother. It would be best to be together now.

As Darunia finished playing, he was astounded at the beauty the song contained. He felt almost like he wasn't actually playing it at all, but that some other power was playing it with him. He had watched the sun disappear behind the mountains about halfway through his playing. A tear fell from his eyes both from the beauty of the song and the recognition that he had failed in his task.

Directly in front of him, the skeletal being aimed a finishing blow to Darunia's head and torso. Navi was screaming, trying to lure the beast away from Darunia, but with no avail. He watched as the fist began its trek toward his head that would end his life. What happened next amazed him.

* * *

Link looked at the sun again; _I have only fifteen minutes of life left. I am going to kill this man before I die! _The sun had yet to disappear behind the mountain side and Link's remaining energy was faltering. His battle with Ganondorf had been hard. He was unequipped for this battle, not having taken the time to collect fairies or potions to heal his wounds. The fighting was fierce and fast paced, Ganondorf had apparently lost some weight since their last battle.

The battle had started down near the broken body of Queen Zelda. Ganondorf was below Link and had been making the advances, so the battle was moving up the stairs, toward Zelda's loft.

Ganondorf had supreme reach with his much longer blade. He was also Link's superior when it came to blunt force.

_Clang. _A gash appeared on the wall beside Link's head; Ganondorf had only narrowly missed.

_Clash._ Link parried Ganondorf's next attack, knocking his sword behind his head. Link meant to take this brief opening in his opponent's defenses, but Ganondorf counter-attacked out of nowhere.

_Smash._ Ganondorf had made a vertical slash as a counter-attack to Link's parry. The strength behind the blow destroyed Link's ornate Hylian Shield and rumbled Link's arm to the core. The battle was going to be quite tougher for Link now without a mode of defense. But, on the flip side, this now meant Link had no choice but to double his offense, which he did.

Link now moved with more speed, gaining many more attacks than Ganondorf could manage to fit in. Link repeatedly slashed at Ganondorf's side, only slightly harming the thick armor protecting his body. Apparently, the hole Link had created in his last fight with Ganondorf had been repaired as it was no longer there for Link to take advantage of.

The fight progressed upward. Holes were torn in the wall, clothing, armor, and even the stair case the two were climbing slowly up. At one point, Link spotted a round object hanging from a wall opposite the two warriors and he used his clawshot to create a little bit of separation from Ganondorf. Since for some reason, the King of Evil wasn't using any of his magic, Link figured he could rest a second while Ganondorf caught up to him.

Link glanced through a window at the sun again. Only a tiny bit remained. He probably had less than two minutes before he would die. Counting down his remaining life span, he lept downward at Ganondorf in one last suicidal attempt to kill this man who had ruined his life. The blow missed and as Link continued fallen on Ganondorf, Ganondorf plunged his sword deep through Link's neck, severing his head. The Hero of the Realms had been killed.

"Bwahaha! I now have no resistance to taking over this kingdom! It will be mine!" Ganondorf spat hatefully out. He turned and slowly made his way back up the staircase to Zelda's loft to finish off the King of Hyrule. It was then that the melody reached Hyrule Castle.

The music was sweet and tender and echoed off the walls of Hyrule Castle beautifully. The music confused those Bokoblins guarding the soldiers and citizens of Castle Town. Far below Link's body, fighting was breaking out. The Hylian soldiers had broken down the locks and were battling their way through the Bokoblin forces.

Ganondorf looked out of a window to see the chaos down below as the first raindrop from the clear blue sky gently landed on the crystal embedded into his skull by his mother. The crystal was a sign of luck and leadership among the Gerudo. Whoever had it in their skull would lead an army of completely obedient servants of Gerudo, Moblins, Bokoblins, and other unsavory beasts.

Ganondorf chuckled to himself. He knew it wouldn't matter what those pitiful people of Hyrule did. He still couldn't use magic until his spiritual entity arrived, but until then he could still manually out power any of them. The sun had set. Torrential rainfall began to come down everywhere around the world, without a cloud in sight.

Vast deposits of underground water broke through the thinner parts of Hyrule's crust. Deep gorges began filling quickly with water.

People the world over were panicking from the sudden unnatural occurrence. The last of the groups with prophecies concerning this event had already sealed themselves away. Death Mountain erupted with a force that few had seen. The rapid rise in air temperature began melting the ice and snow of Snowpeak. Slowly but surely, the fields of Hyrule were filling in with water.

The Ordonian rooftops were already several feet under water and Kakariko Village was well on its way. Lake Hylia swelled to amounts far beyond what anyone had seen. The poor old man who ran the carnival games sat at the top of ridge watching with his brother as his canon was swept under water. He had fired himself up to the ridge at the first sign of the unnatural rain fall. The cliff faces of Lake Hylia had become vast waterfalls. Gerudo Desert was now a very dirty and sandy lake.

The disaster had occurred without warning to many of the people of Hyrule. Corpses floated around many of the denser populated parts of Hyrule. Everything was dieing in the floods wake.

Ganondorf had not foreseen this! His kingdom was being wiped away by some comical irony of the goddesses! He realized that this actually was going to save him the time of having to kill off all of those people who would stand against him, so he was grateful. Ganondorf just hoped that it wouldn't wipe out his entire kingdom. After all, he would survive no problem against anything this world could throw at him, but he needed followers to follow him. He sat on Queen Zelda's bed, next to the large red boat and quietly chuckled to himself. _I've finally won. I've finally beaten that blasted bloodline._

* * *

Midna had felt a deep pain in her chest for a few moments. Link had died. She knew it. The bridge had been destroyed. She could feel the dimensional portal next to her and Jashir open from the other side.

"Time to go mother. We'll see Ganondorf on the other side!"

With that, the magical hold Jashir had on her pushed her through the portal. What she saw on the other side was not at all what she had expected and apparently, it wasn't what Jashir had expected either.


	9. Finale

**The Legend of Zelda: The Search for Hope**

Chapter 9: Finale

Darunia watched as the fist made its way toward his face. He knew he was done for. He was glad to have seen Navi one last time. That was the reason he had remained on this planet as a wolf. He desperately wanted to continue searching the world for his long lost friend, the only friend he ever had had. Now that she was here, he felt like his life was finally complete and that he could die in peace.

The rain had already started and he could here the rumblings of the planet where he knew water must be shooting up from cracks in the crust. The skeletal monster had stumbled slightly in the odd wet sand he was now walking through.

Darunia had finished playing the sweet melody. He still had the Ocarina in his hands and he looked at it reflectively. It seemed to him that time was slowing down. In his final moments, his mind must be slipping. Any moment now the fist would end his life.

But the impact never came. In fact, Darunia couldn't feel any rain drops hitting his skin. Navi was still buzzing around and was just as confused as Darunia was. Everything seemed to have stopped. Darunia looked around at the world around him. Everything had stopped. The world was completely silent. He glanced at a rain drop that was a few inches away from his eyes. He stared very hard at it. For a second, nothing, then, it started moving downward along its path very slowly. As it began to pick up speed, so did the fist behind it. Sound was returning to the world. Before he knew it, time was back to normal.

Just then, a bright light erupted from somewhere behind giant skeletal being and it was destroyed. The bones simply evaporated into thin air. The light had come from the giant black rock that lay near the edge of the antechamber. Darunia briefly noticed something flying from the rock at high speed toward Hyrule Castle, but he couldn't be sure what.

He looked down at his body. It was beginning to fade in and out. The Ocarina was gone, but Navi was still next to him. He felt like he had finally completed the mission that the goddesses had sent him on hundreds of years ago. The Hero of Time thought that he could rest in peace. He glanced up at Navi who was fading in and out as well.

"What have you been up to the last few hundred years, Navi?"

"I've been here, Link. I've been waiting for this mission. The goddesses created me specifically for our two adventures; even though this adventure wasn't so large. Like you, I was fated to help save this world. Now that we've done out part, we are free. We are both fading and this world will soon be covered in obscurity. I'm glad to have finally found you, Link."

"Me too, Navi. Me too. I searched so long for you. I helped the Hero of the Realms because he lost someone he cared for too. I didn't think that I'd find you on this journey."

"Link, let's go. Zelda has been waiting for you. Common."

Link, the Hero of Time, looked up at his long lost friend now found with a smile that said "I'm grateful for everything." Navi floated down a little bit and rested on his shoulder. His body was still pinned between the boulder and the column. The two sat in the rain in silence for a few minutes. The Hero of Time could see that the desert was now very full of water. If had already reached the steps of the Arbiter's Grounds. This world wide flood would consume the world in less than thirty minutes. _Amazing_, he thought.

He smiled at his friend once more, and with that, the two disappeared from Hyrule forever.

Ganondorf continued to set on the bed that had been Zelda's when something incredibly odd happened. He had not sent for his spiritual entity yet and yet he could tell that he was on his way. At that moment, Jashir stepped slowly into the room from a window with Midna in right behind.

"Here I am, Your Highness," Jashir said, red eyes glowing.

"Good, I need you back," Ganondorf grunted. With that, the King of Evil put his hand on Jashir's forehead. What occurred next made Midna scream with horror. It looked as if Ganondorf was sending shockwaves of electricity through her surrogate son. His small body was flailing, several feet off the ground. The room glistened with a bright blue shimmer. When the monstrous occurrence was over, Ganondorf simply flung Jashir's body against a wall. He was still breathing.

"Ah! Now I feel good again! Glad to be whole once more! You! You helped Link ruin my time here years ago. Want to see what I've done with him? Go look!" Ganondorf used his magic to float Midna out into the hallway. After the resulting scream of terror and sadness had stopped and given way to uncontrollable sobs, Ganondorf led her back into the room.

"What do you propose to do about this? The Master Sword no longer has a user and two parts of the Triforce have been done away with, no one can defeat me now," Ganondorf spat at Midna, his disdain for her clear.

Suddenly and voice from the doorway echoed across the room. It was filled with anger and fury, and it was certainly the last voice either Midna or Ganondorf had expected to hear.

"I propose that I kill you."

It was Link, the Hero of the Realms, complete with body and attached head. He came walking across the room toward Ganondorf and Midna. It was very apparent that Ganondorf had gotten his magic abilities back by the attack he threw at Link next. His signature ball of lightening came soaring across the room.

"How the heck did you do that?!" Ganondorf screamed, more out of frustration than really wanting to know.

"Honestly? I don't know, but I do feel great!" With that, Link lept at Ganondorf with a ferocity that he did not have, even prior to the battle he had just fought. The Triforce of Courage was shining bright on his left hand. The light shimmering from this Triforce piece seemed to be imbued into the Master Sword and the blade began glowing a fierce golden sheen.

Likewise, Ganondorf's own Triforce of Power began shining brightly red, imbuing his blade with a red magic that was unlike anything any of them had seen before. The energy in the room was almost palpable. It felt like the air had literally thickened about halfway to the consistency of water. It got harder to breath and objects in the room began floating around.

The two continued to battle with a speed and precision unlike Hyrule had ever seen. Midna was still pinned against a wall in her magical cell. From her position, she could see Jashir's small body beginning to float softly off the ground. Her own body began a fluid movement around the room itself, albeit a slow one. Pebbles from the ground rose into the air and the heat from the repeated blade strikes was beginning to become annoying.

Link let out a primal roar of fury as his next attack sunk deep into Ganondorf's right shoulder. Screaming in pain, Ganondorf attempted to counter-attack, but failed. Link's shield was back too and it seemed stronger.

Ganondorf lifted his hands above his head and a small pitch black ball appeared above his head. The ball suddenly tripled in size. Suddenly, the walls of the room and the ceiling exploded outwards and fell to the courtyards far below. The room was now open to the torrential rains. Link could tell that the waters had reached about halfway up Hyrule Castle. Everything else was flooded.

Link's thoughts shifted to Ordon and the people that he knew must be dead there; Ilia, the Mayor, Rusl, Colin, Talo, Malo. Suddenly, Link felt a rip in his left leg. It was a shallow wound, but the magic instantly made the leg feel numb. Link had gotten careless and lost focus in the fight. He couldn't let it happen again.

Ganondorf laughed; like that attack hadn't really contained his real power. As if in response to his own chuckling, Ganondorf threw his hands in the air again and instantly a ball ten feet around formed above his head. The creation of the ball created a shockwave in the palpable air that sent Midna, Jashir, and the red boat off the edge of the cliff.

Ganondorf's body floated several feet off the ground. It was just Link and Ganondorf up here now, and he knew that he was going to have to finish this fast, the waters were still rising. The next ball of lighting came Link's way. Using the Master Sword, he attempted to bat the energy back at Ganondorf, but it didn't work. The blade seemed to absorb the energy. The glow of the Master Sword became greater, and as Ganondorf readied a still larger energy ball, Link fought against the energy blast that came with its creation.

Link couldn't steady the Master Sword. The blade was shaking uncontrollably. He had the tip pointed at Ganondorf and suddenly all the stored energy of the blade shot out the front straight through Ganondorf's chest. The energy ball above Ganondorf faded and his body slowly fell back to the ground. He was gripping the large hold in his chest with one hand, and supporting himself on his massive sword with the other.

Link looked down and saw that the water had reached their level. A small pool of water was forming at his feet. He looked out and was surprised to see Midna, Jashir on the boat that had fallen, riding on the water. Midna had somehow rid herself of her magical container and she flew over to Link.

Midna had that "I'm better than you, but your still cool" look on her face once again and without wasting any time kissed Link square on the lips. She didn't let it last long, because they still had a battle to fight, but she wasn't going to waste the possibility of that being her last chance.

Behind her, the boat still floating with Jashir on it and something he had never seen before, a small blue round object. Link figured it was a musical instrument, but he had no idea how it had gotten there.

Ahead of the two of them, Ganondorf was regaining his composure. It looked like he had once last attack contained within. The water was up to their knees now and Ganondorf made his last ditch effort against them. He had realized that his kingdom was now below water. All he had left was the coliseum that had contained the Mirror. He knew it might have some sort of magic barrier against this water on it, from its old prison days. He wasn't going to let this two ruffians stop him.

Midna and Link held hands and Link put the Master Sword in the air to block this final attack from Ganondorf. Time seemed to slow again as the blades came to a clacking halt against one another.

At the second of impact, a bright light shot out from the point of collision in all directions. When the light had dissipated, Link noticed that time had once again come to a halt. He could not move his body, Midna could not move hers, and Ganondorf could not move his. The rain had stopped, as had the waves and sound around them all. The only sound that permeated the silence was the lonely beautiful melody of Din's Aria.

The Ocarina, player less, was emitting this wonderful sound on its own. It came floating over from its position on board the boat. The melody suddenly changed into something that Link and Midna didn't know. Ganondorf knew that tune. It was known as a royal family secret and was called "Zelda's Lullaby." Ganondorf instantly knew that this wasn't going to be good for him and he realized it as soon as his body was instantly transported to the coliseum he had so wished to go to. Suddenly, Link's wounds were healed as were Midna's.

All that was left of Ganondorf was a floating golden triangle. Suddenly, out of Link's hand came a second golden triangle. They heard a voice from behind them.

"Do you know why you were able to defeat Ganondorf?"

It was the red boat. The dragon head was talking! Link and Midna didn't know what to say. Time was still stopped.

"It's because you brought the Triforce together. The legend of Ganondorf's defeat always includes a male hero with the Triforce of courage and a female princess or queen with the Triforce of wisdom. The song your friend played, Din's Aria as it's called in prophecy has a very specific purpose. It recalls the pieces of the Triforce together in one spot. It works, every time, no matter where each piece is, or if it's broken. That is the prophecy left to us Hylians.

It is a somewhat uncontrollable spell, as you can see from the storm and the flood. When the Triforce is brought together, all those touching it will be granted a wish. Ganondorf wished to be somewhere safe and he thought of the Arbiter's Grounds, so he was transported there. That was foretold in Hylian prophecy. You must be wondering, where it the third piece? The legend says that it will belong to a princess born to stop Ganondorf. It never says that princess must be Hylian.

Your friend there contains the Triforce of Courage."

Link and Midna looked at the back of her right hand, which was now blazing with the emblem of the Triforce. A second later, it was floating through the air. The three separate pieces of Triforce became one single entity.

"This is the first time that the pieces have come together in a very long time and it won't happen for another very long time. The wish you two had was your love for each other and it has been granted." Just then, a portal opened next to the edge of the turret hovering just above the water. "The way home for you two is opened. You can go and take this child. He no longer bares the soul of Ganondorf. He can still live a normal life."

With that, the boy hovered over to Link, who took him in his arms. Midna and Link were still mostly speechless.

"Who are you?" Link finally asked.

"I am the King of Hyrule. Ganondorf changed me into this form, ironically enough, he didn't expect this much rain. But, since Hyrule is flooded, I guess I'm not longer the King of anything."

"Yes you are," Midna said. "You are… the King of… Red Lions!"

"Hmm, King of Red Lions? I like it! That is it!" said the King of Red Lions ecstatically. The spell you cast when Din's Aria was sounded also cleanses this world of evil. As prophesied, a hero would cleanse this world from evil by playing the song of the goddesses; Din's Aria. Come here, Triforce."

At the King's becoming, the Triforce wafted over to him until it gently sat on his back.

"I wish for the cleansing of Hyrule, but I wish for people to still exist. I wish for the races to still exist. I wish that this Hyrule could once again be prosperous and that these two before me can live long and happy lives. I wish the Master Sword sealed away once again. Lastly, I wish that the Ocarina be taken out of existence to stop this devastation from every occurring again."

With that wish went the hopes and dreams of a fallen King. Some people, not all, began floating up to the surface of the water. Small oxygen bubbles formed around their heads and life was breathed back into them. Among them was a couple with a child and several siblings. The Master Sword disappeared in a bright light.

The Ocarina started to shake slightly and with a poof of smoke disappeared. In its place was left something strange, a long stick or baton. No one was really sure what it was, but the King of Red Lions decided to keep it anyway. With the ending of the wish, time began to work its ways once again and the water continued rising.

With a sad look of parting his world, Link crossed the dimensional divide into Twilitia carrying Jashir's body just ahead of Midna. When the gap closed between the two and the bridge had been broken, they knew that there was no way possible to bridge the gap again.

On the other side of the gap, the rain had finally stopped. Ganondorf angrily sat by himself in the cold basement of the Arbiter's Grounds where he had shut himself in to avoid drowning. He currently did not have his Triforce of power, so he had to make due with what he had.

The King of Red Lions had watched the Triforce separate and fly in all different directions after his wish. He now drifted aimlessly as he watched the rest of all that he had known sinking below. He could see that some of the mountain tops would remain and he also started seeing bodies rising to the surface; live ones.

Several days later, a couple drifted to a beach. The couple had a baby.

"Honey, what happened?" said the man to his wife.

"I don't know, it looks like most of the world flooded, how could that have happened?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure glad we lived. It looks like this island will be our home from now on. What say we take the optimistic route and name it something happy? This is the outset of our new lives, so how about Outset Island!"

"Sounds great honey. What about our boy, you haven't decided what to name him yet?"

"What about the Hero that saved Hyrule before? Even though he didn't pull through this time… Link?"

With a pang of sadness, Ilia silently agreed. Her husband didn't know of her feelings for Link or the history between the two of them. Years later, she would start the traditional story of the Hero saving Hyrule and the dressing of boys in his clothing for that special holiday, but those days were still far off.

On other islands, others were coming to the surface. The Goron and Zora would keep mostly to themselves for the next few hundred years, gradually forgetting the outside world. The Hylians would eventually forget about Hyrule and the lives they had there. Over the years a new society would be built, this time one that was mostly aquatic.

Life would go on in Hyrule. Evil would eventually be cleansed and another hero would eventually come about. After all, the Triforce had stayed contained within the light realm.

In Twilitia, Link and Midna spent several days repairing the damage that Jashir had caused. When he had come to, his eyes were the normal eyes of the boy that Midna loved, and when he asked her, "Is this Daddy?" she replied with an emphatic "yes!"

The imp curse was left on Midna, since Jashir had not died and now no longer had the power to remove it. Link said this was perfectly ok with him and that he had preferred her imp form anyway. He liked the girlish cuteness it had; that comment always made Midna angry.

What followed was many many years of happiness. Link and Midna were quickly married and Link made a marvelous King to the Twili people. They quickly accepted him as their surrogate ruler behind Midna and loved the couple until the day they died. Their lives were long and prosperous and happy.

They often spent night's together outside on top of the palace, watching the stars. Link had grown to love the true beauty of the Twilight Realm as well as Midna's true beauty. The two of them had finally gotten what had been denied them for so long, a happy life with the one they loved.

Link and Midna both went on a search, and luckily, unlike most others, they had found what they were searching for: hope.

The End.


End file.
